Shadowed Light Of My Heart
by Seeker of the Soul
Summary: Sequel to my previous Yugioh story. Eikyuu's reign of Order has fallen across the Earth and only a few people remain to challenge him. The final confrontation of Mankind against Eikyuu comes to a startling conclusion!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, and that's final. Unlike my other story I refuse to say it over and over again. This is the only time I'll say it in this story. Check my first Yugioh story if you want confirmation, I said it thirty-nine times, forty counting this one, and that's my limit. I'm done, caput! Ceased to be! 

Author's Note: Well, here it is, the prologue to the sequel to the wonderful(hopefully you thought so cause I did) story What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be. This is a very brief chapter, just letting you all know. Also, for those of you who are stumbling across this fic, I must warn you that much of it won't make sense if you don't read my previously mentioned story first. So go on and read it, I'm sure you shall enjoy. Believe me, it gets better as it goes. It's under the penname: thegymrat.

Shadowed Light Of My Heart

Prologue: What Things May Pass

Two figures stood next to a table, staring at it intently. One was farther off to the side, hoping without hope that the other would fail. The one closest to the table examined every angle very carefully, and then chose his shot. He lined the pool queue up, and with practiced ease he sent the balls rolling on their needed course. "Eight ball, center pocket."

His words rang true, and the ball fell neatly into the pocket. Cheers erupted from the crowd, and his opponent dropped his head in shame. It had been a long series, a long road to get here. He had worked hard for this, and now victory was his. He, who had no full knowledge of his past, was now the reigning champion of Pool throughout the world. "And the winner is Dalin Sumatin!"

He accepted the cheers with just a nod of his head, knowing full well that he had earned every bit of that praise. He was the highest rank player in the game of Duel Monsters, he was now the highest ranked player in the game of Pool. There were a few other games he had his sights set on, but for the moment he could continue his past searching using the quarter million that he had won as the prize money of this tournament.

The past was the past, and though he tried not to think of it, it was always there, waiting to consume him. That was why he had to know the truth, he had to know who he was. He had to recover every last piece of who he had been and connect it with who he was now. It had been Malik Ishtar who had placed a barrier between him and his memories, but something had made him lose them in the first place. "I will learn the truth." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The cloaked figure pressed the power button and watched as the TV winked out. He sat there, staring blankly at the television set for a few more minutes before he finally moved. When he did, he simply rose up and grabbed a pile of cards off the bedside stand provided at the hotel.

There had been something familiar about the man he had seen on television, something that struck a nerve in his memories. He had to know, he had to seek the truth. Was this the lead he had been hoping for? Was this what had been alluding him for these past several years?

He shoved open the door, already turning on his cell phone and making a call. He had a flight to arrange, he had to make certain that a few things happened. He had to track this man, he had to make sure that wherever the other was, that was where he would be. "I will learn the truth." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The various visitors to Kaiba Land were all cheering for their personal favorite. It was a very special event that they were seeing, something that they had only seen happen once. It was being broadcast all over Kaiba Land as a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch two of the worlds top duelists duke it out.

"I sacrifice my Battle Ox and La Jinn in order to summon this mighty beast, the Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Everyone watching cheered as Seto Kaiba, owner of Kaiba Land and one of the top duelists in the world summoned his second Blue Eyes which let out a roar and took its place next to its brother.

On Kaiba's field were the two Blue Eyes and a single placed card. His opponent had a set monster, and two face down cards. Kaiba's life points stood at a powerful three thousand, whereas his opponent had only nineteen hundred life points. "Face it. With all of your strongest monsters destroyed by my Crush Card and ten of your magic cards eliminated by my Anti-Magic Viral Cannon, you don't stand a chance."

His opponent smirked and gestured for Kaiba to continue. It was true that he had no monsters left with over fifteen attack points, and he had lost a good number of magic cards, but he was far from defenseless. "I'm ready for whatever you've got Kaiba. Daisuke Ihachi backs down to nobody." Kaiba just smirked right back.

This was the first time they had dueled since Battle City. This time it was just to make the spectators cheer, but both of them were determined to claim victory. Kaiba's Crush Card had pulled him ahead early on, but Drake was holding on quite well. "My first Blue Eyes will attack your set monster!"

"Reveal face down card, Shrink!" Drake's card flipped up, reducing the attack power of the Blue Eyes to fifteen hundred. The blazing white attack of the dragon collided with Drake's set monster, which was revealed to be the Mystic Elf with two thousand defense points. The attack bounced off, saving Drake and dropping Kaiba's life points to twenty-five hundred.

"The second Blue Eyes will attack!" Kaiba's attack was chained by Drake's second set card, the Mechanical Magic Mirror trap card. The image that appeared in the machine's mirror was that of Enemy Controller. Drake chose its destruction effect and as his life points fell to nine hundred the Blue Eyes was destroyed.

Now it was Drake's turn, and he was going to turn this around for him. "I play Ultimate Revolution!" By sacrificing his elfin monster all the face down cards on the field were shuffled into the deck, and he then got to draw five new cards. He surveyed his cards and smirked, selecting the cards that would make this more even.

"I play Monster Reborn to revive the Black Magician of Chaos, and I'll retrieve Shrink and play it." Next he attacked with his magician, destroying the first Blue Eyes and removing it from the game, dropping Kaiba's life points to a meager twelve hundred, only three hundred higher then Drake's. Drake continued by setting two cards face down, and then he finished his turn.

Kaiba grinned as he started his turn and activated the Life Slashing Treasure. He drew five new cards into his hand, giving him a whole new set of options. The crowd continued to cheer, and they continued to duel. This was how it was for them, a competition between two of the greatest duelists in the world.

One person in the crowd was watching with very special interests in mind. He watched their moves, and watched one of them in particular. He smiled, thinking back to the things he had learned long ago. "I am certain it is him. Once our plans our completed, then the Immortal One will rise again." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kya!" All it took was that one final kick, and his opponent went down. The referee declared him the winner of the match, he made his bow, and then he left. It had been like this in all the tournaments he had entered since the end of Battle City. He would win them all, but he couldn't get his losses at Battle City out of his head. He couldn't get one image out of his head.

A burning green symbol, a six-pointed star that offered such great and wonderful power. All the power he had, as strong a person as he was, that symbol offered him even more then he had. He could become better then he ever thought he could be. He could achieve heights of skill normally unattainable. All he had to do was find a way to make that power his. "The power of Orichalcos…….I swear I'll find it again." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The creature, once a person, had been in his prison for a very long time. He had waited for millennia for his release, and now perhaps that time was drawing near. All he needed to do was to escape this prison through the means he had set aside before he became imprisoned.

He could never truly be dead, those fools should have known that. That was why he was called the Immortal One, for he could not die. He would always remain, and he would rise again to bring about the order from chaos that he failed to achieve so long ago. His mortal enemy had bested him, and he had fallen into darkness.

When he rose once more he would bring vengeance upon his enemy, and he would rip the chaos apart and replace it with a new order, his order. An order that, like him, would last for all time. He would be free, oh yes, that was being seen to. But there was one force he had to contend with…….he just had to decide how to deal with it when the time came.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A man with two different colored eyes sat cross legged in an ancient looking temple. He stared straight ahead at a statue, contemplating the nature of all things. Thinking of his past and what it had brought him too. Slowly he rose from his sitting position and turned.

Standing at the foot of the steps were three figures who would serve him until their deaths. They were his right and left hands. They carried out his utmost desires because he had specifically chosen them to be loyal to not the cause, but to their own emotions, their own pasts. "It is nearly time. Find for me any new soldiers that you can, and then upon my word you will strike. Tread carefully with the Nameless Pharaoh though test him first. And bring me this one, I wish to speak to him."

He passed the picture to the leader of his soldiers, and then turned away. He heard acknowledgments and promises of success, but he ignored them. These three were no longer his concern for the time being. They could take care of themselves. He smiled as they departed, and he began to laugh on the inside. Mankind would perish, so long as he did everything right. "Soon the offerings will be brought forth, soon all that must come to pass, will come to pass."   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A group of five men stood in a circle, each one wearing a robe of pitch black, with white lines around the sleeves and legs. The hoods that were pulled up, covering their faces in shadow, had a symbol of what looked like a Noh mask on it, and on the left breast of each was the infinity symbol. They were busy chanting, and a three dimensional image of Drake and Kaiba's duel was suspended before them. The chants were unusual, not just because of who was chanting them, but because the language was unlike anything that had been heard by human ears for the longest time. It was an ancient language, long forgotten, that had faded in the sands of time.

They watched as the duel continued, with both players giving it their all, pulling off risky combos, struggling back and forth between each other. When at last the end came, the five men ceased their chanting, and the image faded away. The circle broken as in unison the robed men turned to face a group of nine people, all of whom were covered by the shadows of the night. The robed man at the far left spoke first. "Each of you has your purpose."

The second one, the one right next to him, spoke up next. "You will carry out these tasks without fail, or you will become useless. If you have no purpose, then you are nothing." Next his companion to the right of him spoke up, his voice similarl in tone. It was as if they were preaching.

"All your lives are made only for the use by the Immortal One's guidance. You do only as he asks. His purpose is your purpose." In a similar manner the one to his right, the fourth of them took up the speach. It was spoken as if by rote, yet with the full force of true conviction. The power that only those who truly believed could have.

"You are all basked in the Immortal One's vast wisdom and power. Without it you would be nothing, for he is your purpose. He is your life. Abandon the Immortal One and you abandon all of life." A steady breeze of wind picked up, yet despite the chilly gust not a single layer of fabric on any of those five men's robes moved. Their robes were not touched by the wind. It was as if they weren't even there.

"To abandon life is to choose death. All those who choose death find themselves cast into the world of the dead, where all is chaos. Order is life, and life is Order. Chaos is death, and death is Chaos. Embrace the divinity of the Immortal One into yourself, embrace his all consuming purpose, and you will forever be embraced by his light. By his Order." At last the five of them spoke together, their voices all the more terrifying when combined.

"When you are embraced by his Order you will be free from Chaos, when you know only his purpose you will truly be freed from the horrors of death, of chaos, of purposelessness. The Immortal One is Order, the Immortal One is Life, the Immortal One is Purpose, the Immortal One is Light, and the Immortal One is the true God of man. Embrace your true God and be free of all worries, all doubts, all fears. Embrace your true God and become one with him. Become one with the Immortal One and ascend to the heavens with him! Only by embracing the Immortal One can any of mankind recieve their eternal reward! Seek not chaos, but the power of the Immortal One. The Power of Order."

As soon as the five men finished speaking the nine people in the shadows started talking, their voices dry and emotionless. Filled with no traces of doubt, fear, or worries. They simply spoke. But within thos words was that power, the power of the truly convicted. These were believers. "Each person has a purpose. Failure causes lose of purpose. Without purpose we are nothing. We follow the guidance of the Immortal One without fail. We do only as he wishes. His purpose is our purpose. We are basked in the Immortal One's vast wisdom and power. Without it we are nothing, for he is our purpose. He is our life. To abandon the Immortal One is to abandon all of life. To abandon life is to choose death. All those who choose death are cast into the world of the dead, where all is chaos. Order is life, and life is Order. Chaos is death, and death is Chaos. We embrace the divinity of the Immortal One into ourselves, embracing his all consuming purpose, and we are embraced by his light, by his Order. Embraced in his Order we are free from Chaos. We know only his purpose and we are freed from the horrors of death, of chaos, of purposelessness. The Immortal One is Order, the Immortal One is Life, the Immortal One is Purpose, the Immortal One is Light, and the Immortal One is the true God of man. By embracing our true God we are freed of all worries, all doubts, all fears. By embracing our true God we become one with him, become one with the Immortal One and ascend t othe heavens with him. By embracing the Immortal One we mankind can recieve our eternal reward. We seek not chaos, but the power of the Immortal One. The Power of Order."

For a moment there was silence, for a moment there was nothing but the darkness. Then the ground between the two groups of people broken open, and light burst forth. It swirled around like dancing fireflies, and formed itself into an image that looked down upon them all. It was a pale white mask, with a red pattern covering the left eye. A curving thick black line ran from the bottom of the right eye to the corner of the mask. At the top was glowing symbol, two ovals intertwined. The symbol of infinity. This mask stared down at them out of its blank eyes, and then a voice crashed down upon their minds, beating them to their knees, filling them with both terrible agony and exquisite pleasure.

"LISTEN TO MY VOICE MORTALS OF ORDER! I WILL GRANT YOU PURPOSE!" And they cried, for their God gave them the right to live.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And so it would be. Throughout the lands voices spoke in whispered tones of hidden rumors and thoughtless falsehoods. They told tall tales and chuckled in corners as they filled their hours with idle banter. Yet there was the truth hidden in their words.

Each amongst them would turn away from their petty talk and stare into the distance, their gazes becoming blank. Each one would mutter under their breath, too low to be heard, in fierce and frightened tones. Each one would say, "It's coming. The End is coming." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Note: See, I told you it was short. Really short. But then I don't see why a prologue or epilogue should be long. Oh, and that duel. I actually do know what happens, as I have the duel scripted. I also know exactly how it gets to that point. Note on that, when we see it, that isn't the beginning of Kaiba's turn, he has already done some stuff. I just jumped to that point. Anyways, I hope you all liked it. Remember, read and review!

Original Cards

Drake: Ultimate Revolution

Anime Original Cards

Kaiba: Life Slashing Treasure

Drake: Mechanical Magic Mirror


	2. A Reunion?

Author's Note: Here comes the first real chapter. Enjoy. 

Story Advert: Today I'm advertising Demon Duelist Legacy. Its an interesting story that takes place....well I don't know when, but as per the usual it begins with a tournament. Things get wierd pretty quickly, and we start to get introduced to new characters and see the real plot. The story focuses around the original characters of the story, but don't worry all you hardcore character fans, Kaiba, Joey, and Yugi are all in there later on. The duels are good, they progress as they characters progress as any duel fic should have it. My favorite set of original cards he used is some of the cards from his main villain, but you'll have to keep reading to see those cards. Read and enjoy I say! Hmmm....I think I've heard that before.

Chapter One: A Reunion?

"Ladies and gentlemen, here we have the last duel of the Japanese Regional Championship! The winner of this final duel will be declared this year's Japanese Champion!" The crowd roared with approval, ready to see the final duel. They had seen plenty of exciting duels so far, and this was bound to be the best so far. After all, the two duelists here were some of the top duelists around.

"The duelist on our left is the Champion of the Izu Province, an up and coming duelist whose crushed each of his opponent's in the tournament so far. Let's give a big round of applause for Kai Kaethen!" The duelist with the two colored eyes stepped up onto the platform and set his deck in the appropriate place. Slowly the platform raised up into dueling position, and he was ready to begin. (KLP: 4000)

"The duelist on the right needs no introduction, but we'll do it anyways! The duelist who took the title King of Games, the number one duelist in the entire world, Dalin Imaki SUMATIN!" The crowd's roaring was far greater for Dalin then it had been for Kai, and the large and muscular duelist approached, his hair its usual golden blonde and spiked back. He placed his deck in its place and his platform rose up to the level of Kai's. The duel was about to begin, and it was going to be a huge duel for Kai. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. (DLP: 4000)

"The randomizer will now select the duelist who will take the first turn. Go!" The announcer raised one arm above his head, and the randomizer started running. On a big screen there was a pie graph with eight sections, four with Dalin's picture and four with Kai's. Whichever the randomizer ended up on was who would start the duel. The light went all the way around several dozen times before slowing and finally coming to a rest on Kai's picture.

"Kai Kaethen will take the first turn! Begin the duel!" The two duelists immediately drew their opening hands, deciding what they would play. Kai drew six cards as opposed to the five that Dalin drew. Kai's spellcaster deck was about to get the ultimate test when he pitted it against the strongest duelist in the world. If he won this, then he'd gain the title of King of Games. That was worth more then simply being the Japanese Champion.

Now that the duel was starting the giant screen faded from displaying the pie graph. Now it displayed two individual pictures of them, underneath were outlines of zones, to show what they had on the field. There was also a counter beneath each name, so the fans could easily keep track. The pictures were of equally determined and focused people, just as they were right now.

"To start this duel off I'll play Spell Economics. Now for as long as it's on the field neither of us has to pay life points as the cost of activating magic cards." The holographic projectors of the arena quickly churned out the image of the Spell Economics card which was vertical and facing Dalin. Now a duplicate image on the far left m/t zone that appeared on the screen.

"Now I activate the magic card Resonance of Soul. At a cost of one thousand life points it lets me special summon any level four monsters in my hand, but they're destroyed at the end of my next turn. Thanks to Spell Economics I can special summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) and Skilled White Magician(1700/1900) at no cost to myself!" He placed the two monsters onto their respective zones and they appeared on the field, one robed in white and the other in black.

"My next card is Spell Accounting. For every two hundred life points I pay I can place a magic counter on a monster. Again thanks to Spell Economics I can place three magic counters on each of my monsters at no cost." The three orbs they had to detail if they had magic counters all lit up, and it was just about time to use their effects. This was going to have been a truly productive turn.

"By sacrifice my monsters and their three counters I can bypass having them destroyed and special summon both the Dark Magician(2500/2100) and the Buster Blader(2600/2300)!" His monsters vanished in a blaze of energy, quickly replaced by their stronger forms which he got out of his deck. The purple clad magician and purple armored swordsman, each one ready to do battle with whatever Dalin could bring out.

"End turn!" At the end of his turn he was left with one card in his hand, a card he couldn't use in this turn. It had been a truly productive turn, getting him two of his strongest monsters with great ease. He had been surprised when he saw those combos fall together when he drew Spell Economics, but he was certainly glad he had. It would make winning the duel much more likely.

Dalin slid the first card off the top of his deck, adding it carefully to his hand before selecting the move he wanted to make. He placed the first card in the exact opposite zone that Kai had, yet it too was a permanent magic card. "I play Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm, allowing me to draw two cards each draw phase."

"I set a single card face down and then summon Holy Shine Sphere(500/500) in defense mode. That's all." Kai arched an eyebrow as the two cards appeared on the field. It would seemed that his quick starting move had given him more of an advantage then he had previously thought. If all Dalin had to defend himself with was a little glowing sphere then it would be easy to go on the offensive and take the lead.

He drew another card into his hand and discovered that he couldn't use it at the moment. So he'd simply have to attack. "Dark Magic Attack!" His magician extended his arm with fingers stretched out and palm flat. A blast of dark magic later and the little sphere had been destroyed, clearing a path straight to Dalin's life points.

"Buster Blader, attack directly!" The purple armored warrior charged across the field and jumped straight into the air, swinging his blade down at Dalin. An indicator blinked on the giant screen, showing that a direct attack was being completed. However Dalin was the number one duelist in the world for a reason.

"The trap card Nutrient Z increases my life points by four thousand before I take that damage. Therefore I profit from your attack." Dalin's life points quickly shot up to eight thousand. Then the blader's attack connected and his life points dropped again. Unfortunately he was able to gain fourteen hundred life points from that attack. Kai ended his turn. (DLP: 5400)

Dalin's hand swiftly shot up to five cards and he looked them over, quickly becoming satisfied. "I set one card face down and summon Holy Shine Sphere in defense mode." The crowd and Kai couldn't help but sweatdrop as he concluded his turn having played an identical move as to his previous move.

Kai grinned as he realized that he could take control of this duel and get victory. All he had to do was pull off a direct attack or two in this turn, and then he'd have victory for sure. "I play Payment of Debt!" He drew three more cards, giving him a total of five cards. With those cards came the options that he needed, and the cards that he wanted.

"I set two cards face down and summon Breaker the Magic Warrior(1900/1000) in attack mode. I sacrifice its counter to destroy your set card!" The red armored magic user slashed his blade and Dalin's face down card shattered, briefly revealing an Energy Absorption trap card. With the path clear it was now time to go all out.

"Breaker, destroy Holy Shine Sphere!" The magic using blade wielder leapt across the field and sliced through the tiny little sphere, shattering it completely. Since it had been in defense mode Dalin lost no life points, but now he had nothing between him and his life points. It was about time for Kai to go all out on it.

"Buster Blader and Dark Magician will attack directly!" The two monsters launched their attacks, the power was devastating and the crowd was cheering. Kai could barely hear the announcer's words over the roaring in his own head. He was actually doing it, he was beating Dalin Sumatin the King of Games! (DLP: 300)

Once more Dalin drew two cards, and then he started off by summoning another Holy Shine Sphere. He shook his head as if disagreeing with himself, and then he played a card. "I play Temporal Disruption. This will destroy all monsters on the field, allowing each player to draw cards equal to the number of monsters destroyed."

The field was cleared thanks to the effect, and Kai drew three cards while Dalin drew only one. Kai held five cards in his hand and Dalin had four. He was far from done though. "I play Renewal of Triplets, allowing me to revive my three Holy Shine Spheres." Using the effect of his card he brought the three little spheres back with great speed, now they were available to attack.

"Using the magic of Polymerization I can fuse the three Holy Shine Spheres into one monster with far greater power. This monster will show you the sort of power that can be wielded by my deck. Come forth, Holy Shine God(1800/1800)!" The three monsters were swept into a vortex, spinning all together until the magic took effect. Emerging from the vortex was a humanoid shape composed of light, with three shining spheres in the center of his chest in a triangle formation.

"Upon being summoned the effect of Holy Shine God activates, destroying all of your magic and trap cards!" The being of light didn't even bother to raise a head. It simply allowed streaks of light to shoot off of its body and rip right through each of Kai's set cards and his Spell Economics. The crowd cheered for Dalin and the announcer gave word of the spectacular move. He also spoke of a lucky hand.

"I equip Holy Shine God with Cestus of Dagla, powering him up by five hundred points. Now I attack to deal twenty-three hundred damage and gain an identical amount." The light creature barely even glanced at the strange weapons that it now held. It ignored them and sent a stream of light out of its chest and right at Kai. There was no semi-physical contact like when using duel disks, so he experienced nothing but realization as the damage was calculated. (KLP: 1700, DLP: 2600)

"My battle phase is now over, allowing me to enter the main phase two. Now in the main phase two I activate the last card in my hand, Surprise Attack From The Darkness. In my end phase monsters that I summoned or special summoned this turn gain another battle phase. Therefore Holy Shine God will attack directly once again." Kai closed his eyes and looked away as the streams of light shot right at him. He couldn't even hear the crowd over the ticking of his life points falling and Dalin's rising. (KLP: 0, DLP: 4900)

The announcer was declaring Dalin the champion, talking about how lucky a hand Dalin must have gotten in that turn to be able to pull off such an amazing victory. They went on and on about it. The platforms lowered, and Kai's eyes locked with Dalin's. The realization he had come to was that it wasn't luck. Dalin had planned to use Holy Shine God since the beginning of the duel, and he had won exactly as he intended. Dalin Imaki Sumatin had made him look like an amateur in one of the most important duels he'd ever had.

They approached each other and grasped hands, shaking and smiling slightly at each other. Kai saw the expression in Dalin's eyes that he had seen in the mirror many times before. He had a new goal for the moment. He would defeat Dalin one day, that he was sure of. It was what he had to do. "Nice to see you again." Dalin raised an eyebrow, but Kai didn't have to elaborate. He knew automatically what Kai meant. Kai remembered everything.

Before either duelist could say another word a man approached them wearing a suit. The first thing he did was hand an envelope over to Dalin who accepted it and slipped it into his pocket. That was the prize money and the special tournament victory card, an extremely rare card. Not that Kai knew what it was, but still.

Then the man handed Kai his own envelope, which contained the prize money for being the runner-up, and a rare card of his own. He'd take a look at what it was later, and hopefully it would fit with his theme. "Kai Kaethen, while you were dueling a phone call came. The man said it was urgent he speak to you. Here's the number so you can call back."

He handed Kai a slip of paper, and the teenage duelist accepted it, and then unfolded the paper. On it was the number that had called. "I recognize this number. It's from the university where my dad works. I wonder what they would be calling me to say. Dalin, could you stay here for a bit? There's something I wanted to ask you but I have to make this call first." The older duelist gave Kai a brief nod, and the bi-eyed duelist headed off to a decent distance to be away from the noise of the cheering fans.

He slipped his cell phone out of the inner pocket of his jacket and dialed in the number. He waited through about three rings before someone picked up on the other end and gave him a traditional greeting. "Hi, this Kai Kaethen, Professor Kaethan's son. I was just informed that someone there had called about needing to urgently speak to me." He paused for a second as the person on the other end of the line took in a sharp breath, obviously upset about something. Kai's brow furrowed as the man on the other end started speaking.

About ten seconds later Kai's muscles went slack, and his eyes stared vacantly ahead. His grip on the phone loosened, and it tumbled out of his grasp, clattering to the ground. The mouthpiece snapped off and went spinning away, and to Kai it was as if he was watching something precious skitter away from him. "Why?"

The strength of his legs failed him, and he dropped to his knees, crying out that single word question once again. His fist slammed into the floor, and tears began to flow. A harsh sob broke through his tough exterior, and soon the strong duelist, Kai Kaethen, had his arms down on the linoleum and his head was down on it. He was sobbing uncontrollably.

A single phone call had just crushed Kai Kaethen. He didn't even notice people, including Dalin, rushing over to him. All he did was sob, and continue to repeat that one question. Why? Why? Why? Over and over. The tournament official stooped down to his level and gripped him by the shoulders, turning his face up so that they were looking into each others eyes.

"Kai, you must understand. Whatever has happened has happened. It is simply the natural order of things. You must follow your purpose." Kai pulled himself together enough to respond, using a bit of support lent to him by the unusual statement and by Dalin.

"What do you mean? What purpose?" The older man smiled slightly and reached into his coat, and then started pulling something out. Kai was too dead to the world to notice it at all. Dalin's eyes widened, and time seemed to slow down as that hand was pulled out of the jacket.

"Your purpose is that of a sacrifice to restore Order to the world. Give your life to the coming of the Order!" The blade reflected the lights above as it whipped out of the jacket and plunged towards Kai's heart. Acting quickly Dalin grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it sideways, snapping the bones with his superior strength. The tournament official snarled and grabbed Kai by the throat with his good hand, squeezing tightly.

Kai's eyes went wide as the pressure constricted his breathing. He grabbed the older man's wrist with his own hand, but he couldn't seem to pry it off his neck. It was like the man's grip had become utterly solid. He was choking the life out of Kai. Dalin reached out and grabbed the man's wrist to pull it away, but somehow even he was unable to budge the man's arm. Yet Dalin recognized why this was. The official's strength was being greatly enhanced by magic, magic that would kill him in the end. But Kai would die first.

The bi-eyed duelist's eyes were started to cloud up as oxygen was prevented from reaching his brain. He was starting to lose focus, and if he didn't figure something out quickly he'd be dead in under a minute. Grabbing the man's wrist with his other hand he leaned backwards to get some leverage, and then using the man's super strong arm as support he pulled his entire body up off the ground. Now he was hanging horizontally from the official's arm.

Kai's feet crashed into the man's face with as much strength as he could muster, shattering his nose and splattering blood on Kai's body and on the ground. Seeing what Kai was up to Dalin lashed out with his own foot, catching the side of the man's head, starting more blood flowing. Almost an instant later Kai kicked out again, and again, and again. The man's face was getting mutilated, but he still wasn't letting go. The kicks were getting weaker as Kai was losing strength, and moments later he was unable to continue his actions. He couldn't even see anymore, everything was going blank.

When he came to he was looking up at an unfamiliar white ceiling. A quick glance to his side confirmed what he had thought. He was in a hospital bed, in a hospital. So he had nearly died, but somehow they had saved him. He turned his head to the other side and saw Dalin sitting quietly in a chair, watching him. "How?" Kai's voice was croaky from the damage inflicted, but he managed to get it out.

Dalin looked away slightly, and then returned Kai's gaze. There wasn't a quaver in his voice, yet Kai knew that somehow Dalin felt uncomfortable about something. "Shortly after you passed out the Icon started glowing, and I felt a dark power surge through me. The ring itself unwound and the mouth of the serpent struck the man's throat. It drained away every ounce of darkness in that man's body, drained away his soul and cast it into the underworld. In that moment I had crossed the bridge between the lands of the living and the dead." Kai didn't fully understand, but he knew that the sudden emergence of this power from the Icon of Osiris was certainly enough to impact Dalin. Regardless of how it had happened, Kai was glad to be alive. It seemed that no matter how hard a person's life got, the will to live always remained strong.

"The doctors need to contact your parents and inform them that you're in the hospital, but they didn't get in touch with anyone at your house. Is there any other way the doctors can reach them?" The way Dalin asked it was so casual, yet still Kai turned away, setting his gaze upon that unfamiliar ceiling. Strange how one could find comfort in something unfamiliar when all that is familiar is painful.

"No, there isn't. They're dead."   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'Things have changed over the past months since Battle City ended. I've become a much stronger person than I was even then, and of course I'm not the only one that's changed. Things have been happening with everybody, a lot of things. For instance, Autumn recently told me that she and Ryu had started dating.

Just last week I heard from Joey that Dalin had been declared the Japanese Champion. I had asked Joey why he didn't enter since he could have done really well, maybe even taken the title. That was when I found out that there was an entrance fee of twenty-thousand yen. He didn't have that kind of spare money so he hadn't entered.

Joey said that the news had briefly covered Kai being attacked by some lunatic at the tournament and nearly being killed, but so far none of us have been able to find out anything more. None of us know his number, and the only one who might know where he is happens to be Dalin, and we can't get in touch with him either.

Drake's kept in touch just like he said he would. I get a letter or an e-mail from him every week or every couple of weeks. Apparently he's been really busy helping out with Kaiba Land in America. He gets to run the gaming section there, and it's kept him really busy. He told me about a duel he had with Kaiba, but neither he nor Kaiba was willing to say who won. They both say it wasn't important. I haven't heard from him in nearly two weeks.

Kensai's been really busy with martial arts tournaments, so he hasn't been around. Apparently he intends on taking over the Geokigo Dojo that his master runs once his master is unable to keep the place going. He says he has to earn the respect of his potential students by proving his strength. It's almost like Kirani, who left shortly after Drake did to enter a bunch of minor dueling tournaments for money.

I chatted with Tea on the phone just the other day. She says that Yugi is preparing himself and Yami for getting Yami's memories back, but Yami insisted that they have time to relax before doing that. I don't know if they've tried the process yet.

Well, that's the latest report from me, so I'm going to send this e-mail along to you Mai. Hope you enjoy reading it, and hope you get in touch soon. I hope you also stop by Domino City one of these days so we can hang out.

P.S. I think Joey misses you. With love, Serenity.' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night found Serenity Wheeler walking home in the dark, through bad streets. It couldn't be avoided though, there was road construction where she normally went so she had been forced to come this way. She was more confident as a person then she used to be, but she was still nervous as she looked at her dark and spooky surroundings.

A dry and mirthless chuckle filtered over to hear and she stopped dead. Straining her eyes she saw a little bit of light further ahead, bobbing up in mid-air, about head height. After a little bit of though she concluded that it was someone smoking, and whoever it was seemed to be coming her way. "Well now, do you really think you should be wandering around in this part of town all by your lonesome?"

Lights flared into existence all around her, courtesy of nearly a dozen flash lights. There was a click and all the lights went out again, followed by the previously broken lamp above to come on. The holders of those flash lights were poorly dressed men, with studded jackets, and various other signs of being what she was afraid of. A gang.

The one who had first spoken was idly tossing a switch blade between his hands as he approached, taking a drag on his cigarette. He chuckled again and then stopped about five feet away from her, blade in his right hand. "Until the lights went on I was gonna suggest you give us all your money, but now that I can see clearly, I think there's something else we'll be taking from you....or you could just give it freely."

Serenity had about three seconds of full volume screaming and running before the leader grabbed her, putting his hand over her mouth. She struggled against him, trying to bite his hand, but he held her too tightly for her struggles to be of much help. "Now....let's get to business." Serenity could feel the man's other hand start to move towards an inappropriate place, could smell his cigarette smoke wafting into her face. She was completely terrified.

"Total slaughter, total slaughter, I won't leave a single man alive! La di da di dide, Genocide! La di da di dud, an ocean of blood, so let's begin, the killing time!" The gang could only stare, their heads whipping around in search of the off-key singing that came from Serenity had only time for one more thought before the area exploded into action. That single thought was not the usual thing to think in such a situation. She thought very simply: Trigun?

The sudden revving of an engine brought the gang members heads to staring straight down the street, and suddenly a light burst into existence, blinding them. The sound of the engine roaring to life could easily be heard, and whatever it was headed straight for them. Serenity saw two gang members get tossed to the side as the thing barreled past.

The motorcycle did a sliding stop, catching another gang member in the stomach and sending him flying backwards into a wall. Then it started off again, the rider kicking out with a foot in passing to send one gang member flying into another. Whoever her savior was, he was very effective on that motorcycle. He took out another one in a single pass before having to make a sliding stop to get his bearings. In that moment the gang members collected themselves and charged. Serenity found herself cast aside, crashing into a dumpster. She cried out in pain and slid to the ground, barely conscious.

Serenity got a good look at the man. He was dressed all in black, with black jeans, black boots, and a black sleeveless trench coat hanging open over a blue t-shirt. The man's head and face were shielded by the black helmet he wore. The man raised his fists, and waded into the fight. His fists were deadly weapons, streaking to connect with faces and breaking noses. A chain struck him upside the head, but the helmet protected him and he whirled, seizing the chain and swinging the other man into a wall.

Now armed with a chain he swung it around harshly and moved forwards, keeping the gang members from advancing. Finally one made a desperate rush at him, and the mystery man swung the chain, connecting it with the side of the gang member's neck. The powerful blow knocked the gang member off his feet and to the ground. Serenity was certain she saw blood go flying from the strike.

While this was happening another one of the men had charged the man in black, slamming into his back and knocking him to the ground. Her potential savior shot his elbow backwards, scoring a clean blow against the man's nose, breaking it and causing the man to fall backwards in pain. Another gang member kicked the man in black in the side, and to avoid another kick he rolled to the side, losing his chain in the process.

Three of the five remaining gang members rushed at the prone biker, but they got a big surprise as he came up, striking one of them in the stomach with something cylindrical. Then he swung it upwards, cracking the man's chin. The gang member collapsed in a heap, blood dribbling down his throat. But the man in black was far from done.

With great ferocity he swung his new weapon around in a wide arc, catching the next gang member upside the head with it. A wet thumping sound came along with a sickening crunch, and the gang member went down. Serenity saw the weapon now, and realized that with that great force with such an object the gang member that the man in black had just hit might not have lived through it. The man in black was wielding a crowbar that he had pried out of the hands of one of the gang members he had knocked down with his bike.

Letting out a vicious battle cry the man in the black trench coat ran straight at the next gang member and swung the crowbar at full force right into the man's face. A sound similar to the last strike followed, and a brief cry was followed by the man swinging the crowbar down onto the gang member, silencing him.

Besides the gang leader who was just a few feet away from Serenity, only one gang member remained standing. He was definitely a big fellow, all decked out in spikes and such. He too was holding a crowbar, putting Serenity's 'savior' on even terms with the biggest of the gang members. "You've messed with the wrong people pal, cuz the Sharks don't take kindly to being fucked around with. So I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

Serenity's was surprised that such a big man could cover so much ground in such a short amount of time, but he did, crossing the dozen or more feet between the two in seemingly record time. The man in black fell backwards and out of the way. Then he rolled to the side to avoid another strike by the crowbar. The big gang member bellowed in rage and swung down once again.

This time the man in black caught the crowbar. Serenity gasped in shock, and so did the two gang members. It was impossible to stop a crowbar moving that fast without breaking your hand, yet this man had just done it. The big gang member gasped in pain as the man in black drove the crowbar into his muscular stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Then the man in black sprang upwards, his helmet smacking straight into the bigger man's face.

The big gang member went down hard, and the mystery man punched him twice in the face with his left hand, knocking him unconscious. It was as he turned towards the two of them, her and the gang leader, that Serenity realized how he had stopped the blow with his hand and knocked out the big guy so easily. His left hand was wrapped in the chain, blocking the force from his hand when catching the crowbar and adding force to his punches. He must have picked it up when rolling and swiftly wrapped it around his hand.

Now all that was left was the gang leader, who in a last desperate act grabbed Serenity by the arm and pulled her up, bringing her out in front of him and putting his switch-blade to her throat. "Take another step and I slit her pretty little throat!" Neither of them could tell the expression of the man in black underneath his helmet. But somehow Serenity got the impression that he was smiling. The man dropped his crowbar and kicked it aside, then he undid the chain from his hand and started to let it fall.

Suddenly, the chain went spinning, hurled underhand style straight at the gang leader. The brutish man let out a cry of surprise and pain as it struck the arm holding the switch blade, knocking it away from Serenity and the blade out of his hand. In that second of distraction the man in black covered the distance and laid the gang leader out with a single punch.

The big guy wasn't done though, and he pulled himself back onto his feet, grabbing the switch blade from where it lay. He held it in the manner of one well acquainted with its use, and he started approaching the man in black. They circled each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The gang leader had the intent to kill, but there was no telling what the man in black had in mind. He could even be after Serenity, just like the gang had been.

"I don't know what you're up to, trying to take us all on, but now you're gonna pay the price for it. You're gonna DIE!" With that the gang leader lunged, blade striking out like a viper. The man in black moved like a snake in his own right, sliding to the right to avoid the strike. The leader slashed again, a horizontal slice aimed at the man in black's ribs. The blade gave the gang leader an advantage, but the man in black didn't seem bothered.

The man in black retreated backwards from that swinging blade until he was about four or five feet from where the gang leader had held Serenity. Finally the man stopped, readying himself for the incoming blade. When the gang leader stabbed forwards, the man's foot jerked up, and the chain that he had hurled earlier came up in the air. The man in black grabbed it out of mid-air and twisted to the side, using the chain to wrap up the man's arm. He then twisted, cracking the man's wrist and flipping him onto his back.

The biker dropped to his knees and picked up the switch blade, holding it to the gang leader's throat. In a harsh tone he whispered to the other man, intent on having his commands obeyed. "Leave now or I swear by every god ever worshiped I'll slit your throat here and now." It didn't take long for the gang leader to comply, and shortly he and the members of his gang who could still stand were fleeing, terrified of the man in black who had defeated them all.

"You saved me." The man in black turned, almost startled by Serenity's words. It was nearly like he had forgotten she was there. He really must have, he had to have been really focused to have made that last move. The man walked forwards, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and stopped a foot or so in front of her.

"What? You didn't expect me to? Well you didn't know I'd be here so it does make sense." The man's words confused Serenity. The way he was talking was like he knew her, and his still confident pose struck a chord in Serenity. It was as if she truly did know this man, like she had seen him somewhere before. But where had she ever met such a dangerous man as this? She was sure she'd have remembered something like that.

"That song....and ummm...." She tapped the side of her head for emphasis, hoping he would get it. She heard him chuckle and he reached up to his helmet, undoing a little clasp at the bottom. He pulled it off and let it hang at one arm, shaking his hair out of his eyes. She didn't need to see anything else but those eyes to know who this person was.

"Well I guess I infringed on a copyright by stealing that song, but I thought it would help shake them up a bit. So, what's up Serenity? Ya miss me?" Drake's familiar grin was exactly what she needed to see at that moment, and she hurled herself at him, nearly crushing him in a bear hug. An impressive feat for someone who was easily more then half a foot shorter and much smaller overall. Drake laughed, and things felt like they were back to normal.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In Domino City the young man named Yugi Motou was approaching the Domino Museum with his friends at his side. In his pocket there were three duel monsters cards, three very powerful duel monsters cards. The Egyptian Gods, the strongest cards duel monsters had ever seen. Before Dalin had departed he had given the three cards to Yugi, saying that his memory wasn't locked in the past, so he didn't need them. They would unlock Yami's memories, that was what they were for.

They approached the tablet with the images of the three gods on them, and he held the god cards up. There was a glow of light, and then everything went wrong. There was too much panic to really think about it much at first, but what they did discover upon exiting the building were some very unusual things.

For instance, the live Duel Monsters that were swarming around. Something had begun, and now they would have to launch into what was bound to be another adventure. And here they had been hoping to avoid such a thing. Yugi was sure that they were going to have a lot happen in a very short time. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Things indeed were starting to happen. Strange things that even those who had started it all didn't understand. Yet there would be time to deal with it all once the Nameless Pharaoh and his friends had been dealt with. However something else was happening at the same time.

Deep within the world of the Duel Monsters there was a stirring of something dark and powerful. A malevolent presence that rose up, ready to unleash itself upon the unsuspecting world. When it did so, things would change for the worse, and for the better. "The time has come....the time for my reunion with the living world."

Far away from there, in the vast city of Tokyo there was an asylum. In one of the rooms of this asylum was a boy of nearly sixteen. He had been here for months now, and he had been classified as 'potentially deadly.' None of the people working with him could understand why he might be thought of that way, but then none of them but the head doctor knew what he had done.

He personally was terrified of the boy, afraid in a way he had never been of a patient before. Had the boy been older, bigger, then maybe it would have made sense, maybe he would have been less frightened. Nobody of that age and that stature could possibly do what this body had done, it was simply impossible. In fact, he doubted any normal human being could eviscerate someone with their bare hands as this boy had done.

Just about three months previous he had eviscerated his own mother with his bare hands, spreading her organs out in a ritualistic manner and smearing her blood across the walls. An expert had said the ritual was not Pagan in origin as some had thought, but was in fact from an ancient cult originating in Ancient Egypt. It had something to do with the worship of some kind of destructive essence, like the pure form of absolute death or something like that.

The kid himself said he didn't understand it, said he was terrified of himself. There was proof that the boy had never known anything about Ancient Egypt, let alone some little known cult that was long since dead. Only a few Egyptologists knew about the cult which had been snuffed out mysteriously some thirty-five hundred years previous.

Right now the kid was sitting in a simple chair, staring through a glass panel and holding a telephone to his ear. The person on the other end was speaking quietly so that only he and the boy could hear. The doctor stayed about ten feet away, watching them. The man claimed to be an old family friend, and he had been checked for anything that might help the boy leave. Not that the boy had any thoughts of leaving.

The boy, Taichi Nobuki, gulped, uneasy talking to this strange man. What had been said so far was enough to freak anyone out, but luckily he had experienced enough things to not be bothered as much by such talk. "So you understand my request. What do you say?" The boy stared at him for several moments, his ice blue eyes blank and dead. Whatever was going through the boy's mind was a mystery.

"Yes, I'll do it." The man gave him a slight nod and rose to his feet, signaling that the conversation was over. Slowly Taichi backed away from the glass mirror, nearly backing into the doctor. The strange man clenched his jaw, activating a trigger. Five seconds after he unclenched his jaw the trigger would activate.

"Embrace the Immortal One, Embrace the Power of Order!" Five seconds passed, and the room was shaken by the blast. The sprinkler system had been knocked out by the blast, and everyone was ducking for cover. At least those that were left alive were now ducking for cover. The one person who wasn't was the young man named Taichi Nobuki. A queer smile appeared on his face as he calmly walked over the carnage and out the door.

His path wasn't unhindered, guards were rushing to investigate the blast, and what they discovered was a teenager walking right towards them. "Hey kid, stop right there!" The first guard, the one who had spoken, got a bit of surprise as his companion turned and placed his pistol right against the first guards head. Of the seven guards, four of them had aimed their pistols at their fellow guards.

As one the rogue guards gave a rounding cry, echoed through the building by more voices. Taichi was even fairly certain he had heard some of those voices amongst the patients. "For the Immortal One! For Order!" The guns went off, and the loyal guards had their brains splattered against the far wall. Now the rogue guards moved to flank him as they continued walking out of the building. Whenever they spotted another guard they would either give the cheer and be greeted in the same way, or immediately open fire. However they knew who was with them, they were good at it.

Taichi let out a surprised gasp as one of the rogue guards went down in a heap, a bullet hole in his chest. He had just jumped in front of Taichi, blocking the shot. In retaliation the rogue guards focused their fire on the loyal guard who had fired, and in moments he was riddled full of holes. Under their protection he made it safely out the chaos of the maximum security asylum.

He didn't bother looking back, even as the building was engulfed in a ball of flame, ending the lives of every person within. There was no need to look back, because he had to look forwards. He had to accept his new life, and forget about his old. Taichi Nobuki was dead, and the new Taichi Nobuki was just being born. He had been born of death and chaos, and he would live in Order.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And that leadies and gents, is chapter one of Shadowed Light of My Heart. Sorry about the duel Paul, but I hope you liked how I handled the rest of it. Hope you don't mind Kai getting creamed and nearly killed, but I felt it necessary. Oh, and to other people, yes this story can be pretty violent. It's also got more actual action scenes in it, by which I mean there is fighting. Don't let that turn you off to it if it's not your style, because it doesn't consume everything. Anyways, read and review.

Original Cards

Dalin: Holy Shine God, Temporal Disruption, Renewal of Triplets, Energy Absorption

Kai: Spell Accounting, Resonance of Soul, Payment of Debt

Anime Original Cards

Dalin: Surprise Attack From The Darkness(Battle City Finals, by Yami M.)


	3. Doomed From The Start

Author's Notes: Keep in mind that I haven't seen the Doom Arc yet(mostly), and a lot of the stuff that is happening was really in the Doom Arc. I can't get it all down perfectly since I haven't seen it, so if you see mistakes, don't whine. Also, keep in mind that other things might just be altered using what is called artistic licencse. Also, I don't know if there is a Tokyo National Museum of History. 

Chapter Two: Doomed From The Start

"Holy shit! Check it out!" Joey's words were just about the only things that could be said at this point. Out in front of them, flying around or just walking around, were duel monsters of all different sorts. Every kind imaginable, they were all there. But it was absolutely impossible that the Duel Monsters were roaming free, and yet it was the case.

Yugi looked around at it all, and then his eyes came to a rest on a building a great distance away. Though he couldn't see it, he knew that two giant letters were affixed on the side of the building. The letters KC. If there was one place to go when wondering about wandering Duel Monsters, that was the place. "Guys, why don't we head to the Kaiba Corp. building to see if they know what's going on?"

The others nodded in agreement and they all headed off towards the Kaiba Corp. building. They hadn't managed to get there before they encountered a very strange pair. Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood stood shoulder to shoulder, staring blankly ahead. Joey walked up in front of them, waving his hand in front of their eyes, but there was no reaction. "What the heck is up with these two?"

"The end of the world. It ends. All going to end. All over, completely over. The destruction of the world. The End is coming." The group's eyes widened as the two duelists continued to babble on that trend. Had they started panicking because Duel Monsters were appearing in front of them? Was that what was causing this, or was there something more sinister at work.

Unable to determine an answer the group continued onwards towards the Kaiba Corp. building. Meanwhile, things were happening a great distance away in America. Seto Kaiba, CEO and Chairman of Kaiba Corporation was busy discussing the current situation with his Board of Directors. "Bottom line. We cannot be held responsible for this, it would ruin business. Shut down all the primary systems."

The man on his right shook his head, obviously upset about something. "Sir, we've already done so. Yet the monsters continue to rampage. We're certain because of this that Kaiba Corporation is not responsible for these monsters." The rest of the board added their agreement, eager to make sure that their dangerous CEO was kept in what for him amounted to a good mood. Of course, even while in a good mood Kaiba scowled at nothing and everything.

"If Kaiba Corp. isn't responsible for this, then who is?" The board members shook their heads, unable to give a satisfactory answer. Little did they know that it was the kind of force that Kaiba had always denied. It was, simply put, magic. Had anyone dared suggest this to Seto Kaiba, they would've been chewed out so harshly that it would take Kaiba a month to clean out his teeth.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

The gang was now all back together, hanging out at the Turtle Game Shop. They sat around the tv, waiting for a supposed announcement by Seto Kaiba. The scene before them flickered, and finally Kaiba appeared. He was dressed in a purple coat with studded shoulders and had his usual scowl on his face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm here to inform you that whatever is causing these creatures to appear, it is not the Solid Vision system. That is all." He turned and walked away, officially ending the press conference. Yugi grimaced and pressed the power button, turning the TV off. Well there went one theory. So Kaiba's technology wasn't responsible for all the Duel Monsters appearing around the world.

"Well if Kaiba's not responsible for them, then who or what is?" They sat there thinking about this for nearly a minute before they came to a sudden collective conclusion. The things that Weevil and Rex had been babbling about, that must have something to do with it! Some new threat must be appearing, and whatever it was, that was the cause of the appearance of the monsters.

A muffled cry could be heard from downstairs, and the gang all shot each other shocked looks. As fast as they could they barreled down the stairs to the primary area of the game shop. To their surprise they found Yugi's grandfather lying face down on the floor. He rushed to the old man's side as quickly as he could. "Grandpa! What happened?"

The geezer groaned and slowly pointed up to the counter. "They....took the god cards. They...." His voice halted at the sound of a mighty roar coming from outside. The group's eyes widened and they all slowly turned to look out the door. Even though they couldn't see outside, they were certain what would be there when they did get outside.

Their fears were confirmed when they stepped out the door. High above in all their enormous glory were the three god monsters, rampaging through the city. The appearance of those beasts was like a sign of doom, for not even the strongest of other monsters could compare to these creatures. "Damn...."

Bright lights burned into their eyes, and the gang threw up their arms to shield themselves from whatever was shining the light into their eyes. Slowly the lights dimmed enough for them to see three distinctive figures on motorcycles. The one in the front, a very large man, spoke through his helmet to them. "Nameless Pharaoh, follow us to have your questions answered. Doom awaits you."

Before Yugi could give any answer the three figures turned their motorcycles around and road off into the darkness, vanishing quickly from site. The three friends turned to look at Yugi who was staring after the retreating figures. "They called you...." Yugi just nodded, and in a flash Yami stood in his place.

"Yes they did. Let's get going." The others nodded, and then they headed off. It would take them about half an hour to get to the named construction site, but when they did they would get their answers, or so the big man had said. Hopefully the answers would be good ones, because they were just beginning to get in some relaxation time.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"So what brings you here to New Port City?" Drake and Serenity were back at her house, sitting on the couch and drinking soda. After their little run in with the gang they had headed back to her house on his motorcycle. Serenity's mom had been really surprised to find Drake there, but she had heard a lot about the older boy, and after hearing how he saved Serenity, she let him come in.

"Well even though it sounds better, I didn't come to visit you. In fact I thought you lived in Domino City. I came here on business for Kaiba Corp. But back to what I already said. What about Domino?" Serenity bit back a laugh at how silly he sounded when he spoke as fast as he just had. He had certainly covered a few things in a single breath. More then he probably should have.

"I was only in Domino City for that time so I could get eye surgery done. After a while of visiting my brother I came back here." Drake made an 'oh...' sound and chuckled, shaking his head. He probably should have asked her that at some point, but it had never come up. After all, other then this meeting they had only had contact with each other for a bit over a day total. That wasn't much to base anything around.

Serenity realized that she had another question she wanted to ask, so she did so. "Can you tell me what your business here is? I mean, what you're doing for Kaiba Corp. that is." Drake grinned and casually downed another gulp of his soda. He placed it on the table in front of him, and then turned back to the young girl across from him.

"Kaiba wanted me to come here so I could personally see to a meeting with a representative from some mystery company that's started buying out Kaiba Corp. stock. Whoever it is has refused to actually meet Kaiba face to face and requested he send an assistant. So, here I am. Of course the meeting isn't till tomorrow, so I've got some time to relax first." Serenity nodded, understanding what he meant. She didn't know a lot about business, but she knew that Kaiba must be furious at having to send Drake in his place.

"Where will you be meeting the representative?" Drake narrowed his brow at this question and shook his head in frustration. It was like he was disagreeing with something, but what could he be disagreeing with?

"The park but...I don't know. There's just something weird about this whole thing that's throwing me off. The truth is we've never even met anyone who works for the mystery company, we've only had contact with their buyer. He's just a middleman, and apparently he just gets instructions. He's never met anyone from the company either. Maybe its just weird to me because I'm not yet used to corporate crap like this, or maybe its something else. I don't know."

Serenity got a bad feeling that Drake was right, but because she had nothing to base the feeling off of she just let it go. After all, what could possibly happen in a meeting with a representative of a mystery company? Anyone who was buying out Kaiba couldn't be all that bad. At least that was her opinion. "So, do you need a place to stay while you're here?"

Drake nearly choked on his soda, and after a moment he shook himself off and turned to answer her question. What she had said had made him think of something she obviously didn't mean, so he cursed his brain for being stupid. "Umm, well I've got money to pay for a hotel room, so it won't be a big deal for me to have a place to stay. Anyways, I don't think your mom would want me sticking around for the night."

She laughed slightly at this, leaning back into the couch as she did so. Drake raised an eyebrow at her response, waiting for her to explain. Usually a serious comment like his didn't bring about such a response, and yet it had. He just wanted to know why. "After what happened tonight I don't think mom would have any issues with it. Particularly since she's heading out for the next few days. She was gonna have a friend check in on me, but she seems to trust you, so I'm sure she'd let you look after me. And you could stay here while you were in New Port City."

"Errr.....well I....you see....", Drake trailed off, uncertain of how to finish his sentence. He couldn't think of anything to say about that. How exactly was he supposed to get out of this situation without hurting her feelings, particularly when some very anime style sequences were flashing through his head. Those kinds of things didn't happen in real life of course, but they certainly weren't things he should be thinking about at the moment.

"Hold on a second, I'll go ask my mom. You just wait here." With that said she got up, and walked out of the room, leaving him in the lurch. Now he was really stuck. If her mom said yes, he'd be effectively trapped into staying with her. He had no problems with Serenity, but this sort of situation wasn't the best type. He thought she was cute, but he certainly wasn't interested in her in the way that she might end up thinking if he stuck around. But still, how could he get out of it?

Suddenly Serenity darted back into the room, smiling brightly. Normally he'd grin back, because her bright smile made him happy. Howeve, in this case he knew that her smile meant something bad for him. It meant that, "Guess what? Mom agreed, and she's just about to leave. So she's gonna tell you a few things first, and while she's doing that I'll go take a shower. See you when I get out!" He blinked stupidly, watching as she darted up the stairs and up the bathroom. His gaze turned towards the other door, from whence her mother came.

It was truly amazing that he could face down an entire gang of punks in the heat of battle, beat the crap out of them, and then here was in this situation. Confounded by the actions of a girl nearly three years younger than he was and definetely not as wise in the ways of the world. That naive little girl had just stuck him in this situation without any obvious effort and no underlying motives. It was like she was an evil manipulative genius hiding in the body of an innocent and harmless looking teenager. "Gee, that just sounds familiar doesn't it?"

"What sounds familiar?" Drake blinked and looked up to see Serenity's mom looking down at him. He chuckled and stood up to greet her, and prepared to receive the talk. In the background he heard the noise of a shower starting up, and he cringed on the inside. This was going to be a LONG night.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

The sun was right at the bottom of it's arc, half hidden by the skyline, it's dimmed glow sending waves of crimson across the clouds. A reflection of the sun could be seen in the waters, and it made a rainbow pattern of light appear there. The scene at the Domino Peer was amazing, and one person standing at the peer had the perfect view. She sighed, leaning against the railing as she stared out into the setting sun. "It's perfect."

"I've felt the same way everytime I've been here." The woman turned around, discovering that the speaker was none other than Drake Ihachi. She let out a string of laughter and quickly embraced him in delight. He returned the hug, feeling reminscent at the sight of her. It felt right to have her in his arms. If only....but no, his feelings weren't returned. To her, he was just a good friend.

Kirani pulled back from the hug, grinning up at Drake, who she hadn't seen for close to three months. Not since he had last departed Domino. "Good to see you ya big lug. How goes things with Kaiba? I hear you two are becoming close." She laughed at the thought of that. She had heard about the duel the two had fought, and what had happened. What was amazing was that they were dueling in a mainly friendly manner. Anything friendly and Seto Kaiba didn't seem to mix in her mind.

"Not close per se, he still considers me something of a rival though. The money is definetely good, it's better than my last job with KC. It lets me pay for my sister's hospital fees, pay for Tenjiku's apartment, my own, and with enough left over for some perks. Plus job security is great, and there are other benefits. But enough about me. I wanna hear what you've been up to." She smiled that amazing smile of hers that out shown the sun, and turned to lean against the railing. He joined her there, both of them watching as the sun set.

"After the Ghouls disbanded I did some dueling. But I was at a little fishing village when I found what I really wanted to do. There was a family there who was looking to hire someone to be a pilot for their boat, drive them around a bit on the waters. It fit me so well, I knew I could do it and love it. I've had plenty of experience piloting boats, and I just love the ocean. So I took the job. I've had several others, but at the moment I'm the personal pilot for some rich family's yacht. The pay is decent, and I get to be on the ocean all I want." There wasn't a sound for several seconds, but then Drake spoke up again.

"What is it about the ocean that you love so much?" The older girl sighed a bit, a wistful look on her face as she began to speak.

"I love the ocean because Drake I need to talk to you. I really do, so stop sitting there." Drake blinked and suddenly everything distorted. A darkness lifted, and he discovered himself sitting on a couch, blinking sleep out of his eyes as he looked up into the brown eyes of Serenity Wheeler. He groaned and roll back over on the couch trying to get back to sleep. He liked that dream, he wanted to finish it. Why did she have to walk him up then?

"It's about an hour or so till your meeting with those people. I think you need to start getting ready." He groaned again, pulling a couch pillow over his head. Serenity was certain she heard a muffled 'five more minutes' come from beneath the pillow. She snatched it up and tossed it aside, glaring down at him. He was as lazy as her brother when it came to mornings!

"Daisuke Ihachi, you get up this instant!" Drake grumbled and pushed himself into a sitting position, giving Serenity a baleful glare. As much as he usually enjoyed Serenity's company, getting woken up from a good dream so early in the morning was enough to make him cranky. He sighed and ran a hand through his ruffled hair, trying to smooth it down. Well, at least as much as his hair ever got smooth.

"Yes mother, I'm going."   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai grimaced and leaned back in the seat of his dark blue RX7 with the top down, waiting for the light to change colors. Traffic was bad in Tokyo, even though most people walked. Nearly a month back he would never have gotten the chance to come here, his parents wouldn't have let him. But now they were dead, and he was here in order to figure out exactly why.

A little while ago he had been in the Japanese Championship, which would determine the champion of Japan. It had taken quite a bit of work to enter it, and he had forged his way through tough duel after tough duel to make his way into the final round of the championship.

Meanwhile another duelist had been competing in the same tournament, a duelist that everyone was determined to defeat. Dalin Imaki Sumatin forged his way through each of his duels with the ease of a sword cutting through butter. It was like all the top duelists of Japan were no challenge for him. So he had made it to the final round of the championship.

When the duel had started Kai had been as focused as he had ever been in a duel. He was in peak condition for the match, and even his hand was an awesome hand. In the first turn he had been able to summon two of his strongest monsters in order to put Dalin on the defensive and take the victory.

What he hadn't realized was that Dalin was stringing him along, using Kai's own monsters to facilitate his own strategy. Kai had been played worse then he had ever been played in any duel. Plenty of duelists fell for traps or were pulled into deadly combos without realizing it, but for his part he usually had managed to recover. Never had he been so completely drawn in as when he had drawn Dalin.

In a single turn the angel duelist had managed to not only turn the tide of the duel, but win as well. Dalin had even ended the duel with more life points then when he started. It was the ultimate defeat, a complete and utter shut-out where he lost in just a few short turns. Of course he had lost duels before, but never like that.

Kai was the champion for the entire province of Izu, one of the top duelists of Japan. He was even ranked in the top two hundred duelists of the world. Dalin had made him look like an amateur, and perhaps under normal circumstances he might have been coming to get a rematch, just to see if his skills had improved enough in a month's time with deck restructuring to defeat Dalin. But things weren't normal.

Shortly after the duel ended Kai had returned a call that had been made to him, and he had learned a tragedy. His father had been killed at the museum and his mother's lab had burned down inexplicably in the same day. He had been torn up inside, and then the tournament official attempted to kill him. Dalin used his magic to save Kai's life, but it didn't save him from the pain of his parent's death.

After a few days of recovery time at the hospital Kai had gone home, and had discussed with a few family friends exactly what had happened. Someone had tried to steal an artifact from the museum, and Kai's father had tried to stop him. The thief killed Kai's father and then fled. In that same day his mother, who had been studying some old pieces of ruins, had her lab burnt down. Video cameras had shown that one of his mother's partners had entered the room, argued with her about something, and then he cried out something. Then the room went up in flames.

He had tried to find clues of why they had been killed at their home, to see about the research they were doing. He had found some papers that gave him some clues, and in a drawer he had discovered a group of five cards, and a note from his parents. They had somehow known that their end was soon to come, and they had left something to remember them by.

His mission wasn't revenge. Kai wasn't like that, no definitely not. His mission was much different, it was a mission to discover the truth, and that was why he was in Tokyo. Just a few days previous Dalin Imaki Sumatin had called him and asked him to come, saying that they had something important to discuss, something that related to his parents. So Kai had come as quickly as he could.

The light above changed to green and Kai added a bit of pressure to the accelerator, making the car surge towards its goal. His thoughts followed a pattern they had been following for a while. Though he had no idea exactly what Dalin had in mind to discuss, he wasn't going to pass up a chance to learn the truth. Besides, if his theory turned out to be right, then something very bad was going to happen so. Something worse than the death of his parents.

Twenty minutes later Kai Kaethen pulled the car to a halt in front of the Tokyo National Museum of History. This was where Dalin had told him to come, so this was where he was going to be. Kai turned off the ignition and pulled the key out, then he stepped out and locked the door. Once his car was settled he headed up the steps of the museum.

He stopped at the front desk and decided to ask the man there if he had seen Kai's quarry. "Excuse me sir, but do you know if a man by the name of Dalin Sumatin is here? He's really tall, muscular, and he's got spiked blonde hair." The man narrowed his brow and then turned to his computer, swiftly typing in a few things.

After several seconds the man smiled and turned back to Kai. "He reported here an hour ago for a private tour with the representative of the Egyptian government. If you wait in the lobby they should be coming out soon." Kai nodded and walked away towards the lobby. Halfway there he turned and headed back to the man.

"Do you happen to know the name of the representative?" The man smiled yet again and informed Kai that the representative was one Madam Ishtar, or none other then Isis Ishtar. Kai's eyes lit up in surprise as he heard this. It was absolutely perfect! Isis Ishtar was well known as an influential figure in the research of Ancient Egyptian artifacts. He had studied some of the work she had done before.

Walking into the lobby he found a seat and sat down, waiting for the two to come out. Now not only could he meet someone whose work he highly respected, but he could also get the chance to match information with Dalin, and perhaps learn the reason for his parent's death and the attempt on his life.

About fifteen minutes later two figures exited through a side door and entered the lobby. One was the distinctive towering figure of Dalin Sumatin, and the other was a bronze skinned woman with dark hair that hung to her waist. She wore casually modest white robes and had golden bands around her arms. Kai was shocked at the sight of her.

There was no one else the woman could be than Isis Ishtar, and Kai was astonished. He had read her work, but he had never seen her before. She was absolutely gorgeous! He found himself experiencing a stupid sting of jealousy at the sight of the two figures talking animatedly to each other, smiling as they spoke.

Kai stepped out in front of them, stopping them from continuing on. The two of them stopped and turned to look at him, Dalin's eyes flashing slightly with recognition. Isis' eyes were just politely curious. "Can I help you?" Kai's mind thought up several responses, but he didn't get a chance to speak, as Dalin beat him to the punch.

"This is Kai Kaethen, the boy I told you about." Isis nodded and gave him a slight smile. Then the two of them turned around and started walking back the way they had come. Kai pulled his eyes away from Isis and refocused his attention on what was important right now. He had no reason to bother with such trifles as a crush, he had to find the truth.

"Come with us. We have something important to discuss." Kai didn't respond in words, he merely started walking with the two of them. They walked past several different exhibits until they reached an unmarked door that seemed of no importance. Isis took a key out of her clothing (where she kept it Kai had no idea) and unlocked the door. The three of them entered, and Kai got a good look at what was probably Isis' temporary office.

There were books of all sorts around the room, books that Kai recognized and some that he didn't. In fact, some of them were books on history so rare that he'd never gotten to see them at all, only heard about them. "You actually have the Book of Fading Stars? I thought it was just a myth."

Isis smiled slightly and pulled out two extra seats, allowing Dalin and Kai to sit down across from her. She picked up the book that Kai had mentioned, a pure black book with the title in Latin on the front. "Not the original, but rather a copy. Yes, I have one. The only copy in existence in fact. Tell me Kai, do you know what the Book of Fading Stars is said to contain?"

"Yes. The rumors all say that the Book of Fading Stars contains the history of the battle between Chaos and Order, and a method to unleash the true power of Order or Chaos, depending on how the book is used." Dalin quirked an eyebrow, obviously surprised that Kai knew so much about a book that supposedly didn't exist at all.

"That's correct, that is the rumor. Unfortunately the rumor is incorrect. This book does however speak of the text that does contain those secrets. This text is actually a religious text, a poorly translated one as well. You see, the name was translated from an ancient language that ceased to exist several thousand years ago, so only a few records of it existed. It was translated to Greek, then to Latin as Caesar located the book in Athens. After Caesar's death one of the Triumvirate took the book, hoping to use it to bring victory. During the final battle the book was lost, presumably carried off by some soldier. "

Kai was enraptured by the tale she was telling, wondering exactly where this was leading. To think that the Book of Fading Stars was real, and that it was far different than what people thought it was....well it was a breakthrough for archaeology and history. "The book vanished for a long time, and then it was rediscovered in Egypt by one of the clans of Gravekeepers. This particular clan was meant to guard a special tomb, and since they didn't want to have such a thing as this book in their possession they gave it to my clan, and that is how it fell into my hands. I quickly learned that it was just a copy, and the real book was nowhere to be found. I have searched, but have been unable to find a trace of it. What I did learn from the Book of Fading Stars, was that its real name could roughly be translated as Philosophy of Immortality, and even that is incorrect. I also now know this is the most dangerous religious piece of work ever to be written. It has the potential power to rip apart the world as we know it." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Yugi and his friends ended up in a conflict against a man named Gurimo, who used the great power of a field magic card called Seal of Orichalcos to give his monsters the advantage. Then he used Obelisk the Tormentor against Yugi, which was defeated in the end. Though Yugi won, he found himself with more questions than answers. There was trouble ahead, that was certain. The next day Yugi and his friends were greeted by a young blonde girl who turned out to be Rebecca Hawkins and things began to come together a bit more.   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

In New Port City Drake and Serenity were standing in the park, waiting for Drake's contact to show up. Little did they know that things were about to get interesting.

Drake leaned up against his motorcycle, glancing over at Serenity who was sitting at the edge of the pond, dangling her legs in and just generally relaxing. He hadn't been able to convince her not to come, so he figured she could just watch. After all, not like the representative could say anything having asked him to come to such a public place. "You enjoying yourself?"

Serenity nodded to the affirmative, and Drake started to say something else when he heard the revving of an engine. He turned a bit and found three figures, one in what looked like armor, and two others in trench coats. All three wore helmets and sat on motorcycles, and they were definitely watching him. "What do you three want?"

"We sent for you, someone wishes to speak to you." Drake nodded, understanding that these must be representatives from the mystery company. Though to be honest they looked more like thugs then representatives. But that could probably be said of Drake as well. He started to walk towards them when the golden disc under his shirt gave a twinge, revealing to him some of their emotions and thereby their intentions.

"Screw....Serenity, get on my bike. Do it now!" She was surprised by his tone, but complied because she knew he was dead serious. Whatever was going on, it wasn't good. She watched him back up to it, and then hop on, revving the engine. With the swift motion of wrist and foot the black Kawazaki was off and accelerating.

Drake grimaced when he heard the roar of engines behind him. Those three were scary as Hell, their emotions told of great darkness hidden within and he felt that whatever their purpose it wasn't anything to do with the corporate take over that was starting to happen. He couldn't find them out here, not with the risk of someone else getting hurt. He'd lead them away so he could confront them. Then the magic of his Millennium Disc would teach them true power. Taking a sharp turn out of the park, Drake risked a glance back and saw that they were still following, doing quite well too.

He barreled onto the street, whipping in between cars at high velocity, and yet the three still tailed him. Damn they were good, maybe better then he was at this. Pushing the engine even harder he poured on every ounce of speed he could as he saw the lines of oncoming traffic ahead. Charging head on into it he zipped between the cars, hoping to allude them. Serenity was screaming behind him. "How long have you been driving this thing?!"

"Since I got my license!" The bike took a sweeping curve and he was nearly sideswiped by a passing Volvo. He took the next turn off the road and onto a back alley where he nearly collided with a group of trash cans. Using his momentum he swung around the next turn and got back on the road, hopefully completely losing the trio.

"When was that?!" He heard the question, but he wasn't really focused on it. What he was focused on was the fact that instead of following him the trio had seemed to know exactly what he intended and had taken the right turn on the road. They were still following. Grimacing he steered into another alleyway, hoping to lose them in the warren of paths.

"About a week after I got to America!" Serenity quailed behind him, utterly terrified at the death defying, and utterly stupid stunts that he was pulling as he pushed the motorcycle as fast as he could through quick-turns. Suddenly he found himself in a very bad situation. Turning the bike into a sliding stop, he found himself at a dead end with a solid brick wall between him and escape. Approaching from the other direction were the trio.

"Damn, looks like things are going to get ugly." Before he could gun the engine and barrel through them, the three men stopped their motorcycles and got off, taking off their helmets. They made gestures of calming, and stood still, trying to show Drake that they meant no harm.

"Things won't be getting ugly. We just want you to have a talk with our leader. He can offer you great things. If you don't comply, then we'll have to hurt both you and the girl." Drake cast a glance over his shoulder at Serenity, and then he looked back at the three of them. He could probably take the other two, but the first guy was so big he doubted any punch he threw could hurt the guy. He was solid muscle, just like Dalin.

Sighing he put the stand down and stepped off his bike, taking his helmet off so he could truly face the three of them. "And what exactly will we be talking about?" The three fellows gave each other glances that had a meaning Drake wasn't aware of, and then the head one amongst them, the biggest one, turned back to Drake.

"Giving you the thing you want above all else." Drake blinked, and his mind searched for what that might be. He could think of only one thing, and he had no idea how they could know anything about him. He started to speak again, but one of them tossed something to him. He caught it, and discovered it to be a somewhat circular green duel disk. It was much different from a normal one.

One of them stepped forward, a similar one on his arm. He had reddish hair and wore a black trench coat in the same style Kaiba wore with a tank top underneath. "This is a Doom Slider, and you'll be using it in this duel. All you have to do is prove yourself against me and then you'll get a chance to speak to our leader. I'm Amelda by the way, and you won't be getting very far against me." Amelda activated his Doom Slider and it extended somewhat, before the plate itself slid outwards, becoming the plate that would hold his cards. (ALP: 4000)

Drake grimaced, realizing that beating this duelist would be the best way to discover exactly what was going on. Besides, he couldn't risk Serenity getting hurt, so he'd just have to win this duel quickly. He pulled his deck out of his pocket, shuffled it quickly, and then slid it into the deck holder of the Doom Slider. "Let's duel!" His Doom Slider activated, and extended just as Amelda's had. (DLP: 4000)

Amelda grinned and drew a sixth card, indicating that he would be taking the first turn. "Looks like shortly this duel will be over, what with me having a hand like this. I summon Wicked Machine Devil(1400/1200), a monster that will produce a Wicked Machine Token(700/1000) when summoned and another during each turn. I can sacrifice these tokens for normal purposes, or to increase my Wicked Machine Devil's attack power by 500, so I'll do so!"

The monster was a machine formed of spikes and wires, with darkness oozing out of it. The token it produced was a group of wires spat out of the full machine, and connected together by a bit of the darkness. However it quickly merged back into the original machine and boosted its power to 1900. "I'll place two cards face down, and end my turn."

Drake drew and surveyed his options. After a few seconds he titled his head back and started laughing. Amelda grimaced at seeing him laugh so hard at whatever he had, and wondered just what Drake had in mind. "Oh this is just great. This duel, it's already over. You have no next turn!" The three men looked surprised, and behind him he could hear Serenity gasp. The best part was, Drake wasn't bluffing at all.

"I'll start off with Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600). Then I add this magic card to the mix, Effect Economics! This permanent magic card will allow both of us to activate effects at no cost to our life points. And it grants my magician a magic counter." Drake's magician waved his staff around, and a glowing point appeared on it. The magic card appeared next to it, and Drake was ready to make his next move.

"Next is Bonds of Brothers! It would cost me one thousand life points, but with the power of Effect Economics it costs me nothing. So now I get to special summon two monsters of level four or under from my deck with the same sub-type as one monster on my field. I'll bring out Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900) and Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400)!" His two monsters appeared beside Skilled Chaos Magician in their flowing robes, one of the night sky, and one of the day's sky.

"I play Soul of the Thoughtful, which allows me to reuse effects during this turn. Again I get to negate its cost with my permanent magic card. I won't reactivate an effect yet though, because it granted my Skilled Chaos Magician its final counter, so I offer it to special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" The blue skinned magician appeared on the field in place of its smaller counterpart, and a card ejected from Drake's cemetery. He grinned and slipped it into his Doom Slider.

"Time to replay Bonds of Brothers thanks to the effect of my Black Magician of Chaos. Now I prompt you to meet Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) and Illusive Magician(1900/1600), both in attack mode!" Two new monsters appeared on Drake's field, completing his set of five monsters. Each with quite a bit of power. Illusive Magician looked somewhat like a younger Dark Magician, and it was ready to join its brethren in crushing Amelda.

"Furthermore I use With Time Comes Wisdom, which lets me send Skilled Dark Magician to the cemetery to bring out a magician of at least three levels higher. So here comes the Dark Magician(2500/2100)!" The familiar purple robed magician shimmered into view in the monster zone that Skilled Dark Magician had just occupied, giving Drake even greater fire power. However, though he had a great deal of attack power at his hands, Amelda wasn't impressed. His two set cards could easily deal with this superior attack force.

"Time to show you the united strength of my Guardian Magicians. Night and Day, obliterate his monster!" The two magicians crossed their staffs, and a jet of black and white energy streaked out, burning Wicked Machine Devil out of existence, leaving Amelda with no physical defenses to help him out.

"Using the strength provided by Soul of the Thoughtful I'll reuse the effect of my Night and Day, this time targeting your magic and trap cards! Say goodbye to your last defense!" Again the two magicians crossed staffs, and this time their sweeping jet of magical energies shattered Amelda's face down cards, leaving him with no defense whatsoever. The red haired duelist cried out in surprise as he realized exactly what was about to happen.

"Think I'm done Amelda? I'm going to teach you and your buddies what happens when you threaten me and my friends. I activate Magician's Unity! This will allow me to combine the powers of every magician on my field to make a single attack this turn, only they'll all die at the end of the turn. Good thing you have no turn right? Well it gets better, because by paying one thousand life points, which is reduced to zero by Effect Economics, Magician's Unity allows me to add their defense points into the mix, so long as I pay a further one thousand at the end of my turn, another cost that I won't have to pay."

Amelda started backing away as a stream of light connected the five magic users, and the moved into a circle, wands pointed at one point above their heads. A burst of magic erupted from each staff, colliding together in that one point, forming a growing sphere of energy. Drake grinned and thrust his left hand forward, the glowing golden eye bright upon his forehead as he declared his attack. "Unity Magic Attack!"

A stream of raw energy exploded out of the sphere, shooting straight at Drake's opponent. Amelda only had a bare moment to scream as the tremendous beam of magical power collided with his chest. The force of the blast wasn't as great as it might have been had it been real, but the Doom Slider's holographic technology was like that of Kaiba's, it gave real impact to blows. And the power of over twenty thousand attack points in one strike was devastating.

Amelda went flying backwards over a dozen feet, coming crashing down on his back and then continuing to slide backwards. When at last he came to a halt he was unconscious, and his clothing was singed. A cloud of smoke was rising up out of the alley from the explosive power of the attack. Drake grinned and took the cards out of his cemetery and off his field and then shuffled them back into his deck. This duel was over, and now he had something else to do. (DLP: 4000, ALP: 0)

Sliding his deck back into his Doom Slider he pointed his hand at the other two, and declared his intentions. "For threatening me and Serenity I'm going to show you some real power, just as much as I showed Amelda. And if both of you are as weak of duelists as your comrade was, then I'll take you both on at once!" (DLP: 4000)

The big guy glanced at his smaller brown haired partner, and then nodded once to the other duelist. The brown haired goggle head grinned and stepped forward. The big fellow finally spoke up again. "You won't duel us both, however you can test yourself against my companion. Varon, show him the power of the Doom Organization. I'll get Amelda." Varon smirked and activated his Doom Slider before drawing a hand of five cards, while his partner walked over and picked up Amelda and slung the defeated duelist over his shoulder.

"Amelda may have fallen to you in one turn, but I doubt you'll get such a strong hand this time around. Not only that but I'm a much stronger duelist than Amelda was by far. Let's get this duel started right now!" Drake grinned right back and drew his own opening hand, and it was quickly established that since Drake had won the last duel he'd be going first. He looked over his hand and then decided that the duel would certainly be an interesting one. (VLP: 4000)

"Okay Varon, I summon Neo the Magical Swordsman(1700/1000), then I set up one card. Let's see what you can do shall we?" His armored sword wielding spellcaster took form, followed by a card behind it. Then he passed the turn to Varon, who eagerly drew a card.

"I'll summon Busterpile Armor(0/0) in attack mode! Meet the first of my armors!" His monster turned out to be a blue arm, that shot towards Varon and connected to his right arm. Drake raised an eyebrow, intrigued by a monster that became part of the duelist. It was bound to have an interesting effect at the very least with that low of an attack power.

"Here I come!" Varon ran towards Drake, and then socked Neo right in the jaw. In a flash of light Neo exploded into dust, and so did Busterpile Armor, then its effect activated. "Busterpile Armor automatically destroys the monster it battles, and then you take five hundred damage. Of course it dies as well." Drake grinned and pressed a button on his Doom Slider, just as Varon was placing a card into his own duel disk. (DLP: 3500)

"I play Monster Reborn to revive Busterpile Armor and..." He paused as he discovered that nothing was happening, and then he held up his slider and looked into the cemetery slot. What he discovered was that there was nothing in his cemetery at all. "What the heck happened? Where is my Busterpile Armor?"

"In my hand Varon, that's where. You see right before you played Monster Reborn I activated my set card, Zombie's Jewel which puts a card that goes to your cemetery into my hand. So I got Busterpile Armor, and your Monster Reborn failed because its target wasn't there anymore. Now my trap's secondary effect lets you draw a card." Varon did so, and then set up two cards to finish his turn.

Drake added another card to his hand, giving him a total of six cards. He looked his new hand over and discovered a very interesting combo available to him. This duel was about to go in his favor, that he was sure of. "I summon Busterpile Armor(0/0), and next I'll activate Bonds of Brothers! Confused Varon? No I don't have any monsters like it to summon, but you do. So I use the quick-play magic card Amendment to change Bonds of Brother's effect to let me special summon those monsters from your deck." (DLP: 2500)

The armor duelist grimaced as he approached Drake and handed over his deck. Not only would Drake get two of his armors, but he'd also get a good look at Varon's deck, which was Drake's purpose anyways. The punk duelist whistled as he looked over Varon's cards, impressed with what he saw. The armors certainly were powerful monsters. "I choose to special summon Psychic Armor Head(0/500) in defense, and Overboost Armor(0/1000) in defense as well." A blue helmet with a visor appeared and latched onto Drake's head, just as a pair of blue armored legs attached to his legs. Now he had an armored arm, an armored head, and armored legs.

"The power of Overboost Armor protects my armors from trap cards, so I activate the equip magic card United We Stand on Busterpile Armor, raising its attack power to twenty-four hundred! Now, it's my turn to attack you directly!" Drake whalloped Varon across the face with his armored fist, the blow knocking Varon onto his back. Drake quickly returned to his side of the field, and watched as his opponent got back onto his feet. (VLP: 1600)

"Now I play Type Shift, turning Amendment into a permanent magic card. You'll see what effect I change next turn, so just wait. End turn!" Varon was truly impressed by the display that Drake had made so far. First he defeated Amelda in a single turn, and now he was turning Varon's own strategy against him. Master Dartz was definetely right, this guy was a powerful duelist that could prove useful to them.

"You've done well so far Drake, but we'll just have to wait till next turn to see how strong you truly are. I set a monster in defense mode, and then end my turn." A horizontal card appeared in front of his two other cards, completing his defense. Now it was back to Drake, and he was going to show Varon exactly the kind of power that he had.

"Now I forfeit my draw phase under the power of Amendment. You see, I'm using my Amendment magic card to change Psychic Armor Head's effect, so I can forfeit my draw phase to select an armor from your deck and add it to my hand." Once again the two duelists approached each other, and Drake took Varon's deck, looking through it. He decided on the monster quickly, and then continued searching so he knew what card Varon had taken.

"You think you can defeat me with Big Bang Blow Armor? Think again, because I summon Spike Fist Armor(300/500) in attack mode!" Drake's new monster, another of Varon's armors, was a blue left arm, which placed itself on Drake. Each of the knuckles of the fist had a little spike extending out of it, making it look truly deadly. It was the effect that was going to do his work for him. Spike Fist Armor could destroy a face down monster without damage calculation and with no effect activated.

"I'll destroy your set monster!" He charged and smashed Big Bang Blow Armor, which could have destroyed every monster on the field to deal damage to each monster's controller by their attack power. In this case its effect didn't go off. "Now, since only one armor can attack per turn, I end. But next turn I might just alter that armor effect to allow me double attacks or more. Your turn Varon."

The armor duelist drew his next card, and then burst out laughing. "So much for all your efforts to defeat me with my own strategies. I summon Explosive Shell Armor(0/500) in attack mode!" A full-bodied armor, all in black, appeared on the field. However it appeared broken, as it was chipped and cracked, and sparks were shooting out of it. Suddenly it exploded, covering the entire field in smoke.

When the smoke cleared, it was all revealed as being empty, not a single card magic, trap, or monster was left in play. "You see, when Explosive Shell Armor is summoned we must both place every card on the field into cemetery. Which leaves me an open path to your life points. I'll get there using my Armored Gravitation magic card!" The effect of the magic card allowed him to special summon four level four or under armors to the field, and he did so, bring out chest, arm, legs, and the other arm. All that was missing was the head.

"The armor on my right arm is Burning Knuckle Armor(0/1000) which normally has zero attack points. However it gains two hundred attack power for every armor on the field, so it gains eight hundred! Now it's my turn to attack directly!" He rushed at Drake and punched him right in the stomach, forcing the punk duelist to his knees. However, Drake quickly recovered and was upright once more. (DLP: 1700)

"Normally at the end of my turn all armors special summoned by Armored Gravitation die, but using Safety Net I can prevent my armors from being destroyed this turn. Now that I've saved my armors, I end!" Drake took a deep breath and then drew his card, knowing full well that with the legs that Varon had, Overboost Armor, he couldn't save himself with traps. And when there was more than one armor on the field Varon could choose which was attacked. The chest, Active Guard Armor, had two thousand defense, so Varon could easily block with that. He'd just have to hope that he drew something good.

"Alright! I've got exactly what I need right here and now! I play Curtain of Chaos Magic! At a cost of half of my life points I can special summon Black Magician of Chaos to the field, so here we go!" A red curtain with a skull and a pair of skeletal hands holding it up appeared on the field, and then the curtains opened. From within came Drake's strongest and most faithful magician. (DLP: 850)

He took back a card and then placed it face down. Then he decided to go on the attack. "I attack you with Black Magician of Chaos. Chaos Scepter Blast!" The mighty mage threw his staff forwards, spearing straight into the monster that Varon chose to have intercept the attack, the defense mode Active Guard Armor. It was swiftly destroyed and removed from the game thanks to his magician. "Turn end!"

Varon drew his next card, and then the special power of Psycic Armor Head activated. When it was in the cemetery during it's owner's standby phase it would be special summoned to the field in attack mode. And so it reappeared, nearly completing Varon's suit of blue armor. Now all that was gone as the chest. "Let's see what you can handle Drake, because I play Armor Slipstream! During this turn one armor on my field can attack you directly! It's time to show you my true power!" A tunnel of blue light formed between the two of them, which seemed to completely bypass Black Magician of Chaos. Varon sped along it and then elbowed Drake in the face with his armored elbow, dealing a good deal of damage to the punk duelist. (DLP: 50)

"Now I play my magic card, Armored Destruction! I offer Psychic Armor Head to destroy Black Magician of Chaos, removing it from the game!" The two monsters exploded, leaving Drake's field empty....or so it seemed. When the smoke faded and Varon's turn was over the other duelist discovered that what remained on Drake's field wasn't a face down card, but rather the same floating curtain that had brought out Black Magician of Chaos. And next to it was the explanation.

At the start of Drake's turn he knew exactly what to do. He had all the cards needed for him to win, right here and now. Varon was going down, and there was nothing the other duelist could do to stop him. "Ready Varon? This is the last turn of this duel! Now thanks to the power of Type Shift I use my now permanent card Curtain of Chaos Magic to special summon Black Magician of Chaos!" Once again the curtains parted and out came the mighty Black Magician of Chaos. (DLP: 25)

"I play Royal Edict, the card I've just drawn. It's effect allows me to name one magic or trap card in your deck, and if it exists there I get to add it to my hand. Seeing as how I've had a perfect look at your deck, I know the magic card I want exists there. So I name Raigeki!" Varon gasped as he was forced to search his deck for the card and then toss it to his opponent.

"Now I use your very own magic card to clear the field of monsters!" A bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky, obliterating the armors that Varon had, leaving him standing all on his own, with no cards whatsoever to defend himself. All that stood between him and defeat was the power of his own fists, and that wasn't going to help at all.

"Black Magician of Chaos, end it now!" The magician flew across the field and slammed the butt end of his staff into Varon's stomach, doubling the duelist over. It was the damage required to take him out of the duel and grant Drake the victory, just as he had predicted. (DLP: 25, VLP: 0)

"Now what about you big guy? Of the three of you I just need to beat you to win, so what do you say?" The big guy stared down at Drake, and a slight smile crossed his stony features. Meanwhile Varon was getting back to his feet and had approached the bikes. Finally the big duelist spoke up.

"We'll duel soon enough. For now the five of us shall depart to our destination, and then you will learn the will of our leader. I am Raphael by the way. It's good to meet a duelist as impressive as yourself Daisuke Ihachi." Raphael extended his huge hand and Drake cautiously took it, shaking the much larger duelist's hand. Then he hopped onto his bike, and Varon did the same. Drake followed them on his own motorcycle with Serenity sitting behind him again. Amelda's bike was left behind as Amelda himself was slung across the front of Raphael's motorcycle.

"Remember Serenity, no matter what happens I will protect you." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: There you go. Sorry to any fans of Amelda and Varon if it seemed like I was making them too weak. For one, Drake's hand against Amelda was basically unbeatable. Tough nut to crack right? As for against Varon, despite the short length of the duel he did end up at 25 life points, a very low amount, even if most of that damage comes from himself. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, read and review.

WolfGeneral: I thought it was a fun way to start the story. As for The Immortal One, you'll have to wait and see who he is. But I can certainly say he's not what you guessed.

Voidtemplar: Didn't know you read my previous story. But it's good to know I have some fans out there. Hope you enjoy this one just as much if not more.

Original Cards

Drake: Curtain of Chaos Magic, Type Shift, Amendment, Guardian Magician of the Night, Guardian Magician of the Day, Illusive Magician, Effect Economics, Soul of the Thoughtful, With Time Comes Wisdom(created by Vaurnut), Magician's Unity, Royal Edict

Amelda: Wicked Machine Devil

Varon(these include armors Drake played): Spike Fist Armor, Explosive Shell Armor, Safety Net, Armor Slipstream, Armored Destruction

Anime Original Cards

Varon: Busterpile Armor, Psychic Armor Head, Overboost Armor, Active Guard Armor, Burning Knuckle Armor, Big Bang Blow Armor, Armored Gravitation


	4. The Threat Unveiled

Author's Notes: This chapter includes the first major original duels of this story. Keep your pants off, cause the fun is just beginning!

Chapter Three: The Threat Unveiled

The time is night. All is dark as is usually the case when it's night time. Yugi Motou is busy trying to sleep, but something strange is happening in his dreams. At this moment he has met the Dark Magician Girl, a Duel Monster, who has taken him by the hand and led him to the world of the Duel Monsters.

He has seen many things and had quite a number also explained to him. Now he stands in front of three dragon shapes, each one frozen in ice, sealed by a single sword. According to the Dark Magician Girl, these were the Legendary Dragons whose powers could be used to turn back the tide of darkness.

Each one was intended for use only by one of the Legendary Warriors, and that Yugi was one of them. With this certainty in place, he took hold of the sword and started to pull. Yet despite his greatest efforts he was unable to pull it free. After some thought the form of the two Yugis split, and together they managed to free the sword and the dragon.

When they awoke there was a strange sound from outside. They rushed out and found a dark dragon-like shape in the sky, pulling things into it. Suddenly a light burst from his deck, and drawing a card he discovered the form of the greenish-blue dragon that he had freed. Without knowing what he was thinking he spoke its name, invoking its power. "Timeus...."

Light erupted from the card and from it formed the mighty shape of the greenish-blue dragon now known as Timeus. It let out a ferocious roar and flew into the sky, igniting its power against the dark power of the shape above. With a great effort Timeus managed to push the darkness back, and then it returned to Yugi's card. He stared at it happily and shook his head in wonder. "The power of the Legendary Dragon Timeus....amazing." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day Yugi and his friends received a tape from Pegasus, inviting them to America where they would discuss some of the things that were going on. So, within a day's time they all packed up, made last minute goodbyes, and then departed on an airplane headed for San Francisco, secretly followed by Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaiba sneered as he thought over Pegasus' invitation. Pegasus wanted him to come to Duelist Kingdom so that they could duel. Kaiba had discovered that it was Pegasus and Industrial Illusions that was buying up Kaiba Corporation's stock, all for the purpose of getting Kaiba to duel.

He turned to his lackey and shouted. "Isona, prepare the jet. We're going to Duelist Kingdom." Isona nodded and left the room to make preparations. Grabbing up his deck case with the DD2 inside, he pulled on his purple overcoat and called out to Mokuba. They had things to do, and they would be doing them soon.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Earlier at Industrial Illusions Headquarters, Pegasus was standing by the window, his eyes closed as he felt the breeze from outside blow across his face. It was whipping the curtains about, but he didn't mind. He just wanted to relax a little before Yugi and his friends arrived. Then the serious discussions would start.

He opened his eyes to find a familiar figure standing by the windows, the curtains blowing around her. He smiled slightly, rather surprised to see her. He had been expecting someone, but not her, not her at all. "How unexpected. I suppose you're here for the reasons I think you are?" The woman nodded and raised the strange duel disk on her arm, extending it into full position. He shrugged and picked the duel disk on his table up and attached it to his arm.

"So be it. You know its sad. I've actually been designing new cards that you would like quite a bit, but if I go, then they'll never be created. Oh well. You can't have everything can you?" And so the duel began. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"My lord, the one you wished to speak to." Raphael made a sweeping motion with his arm and Drake stepped forwards, staring at the long bluish hair of the man standing in front of him. The man slowly turned, revealing his features which included eyes of two different colors, much like Kai's. He smiled slightly and walked down a few steps until he was only a few feet from Drake. In his hand he held two things that Drake couldn't see.

"Ah yes, Daisuke Ihachi. Your past has great significance, but that isn't why you are here. You are here because you can provide something I might want, and I can provide something you might want." He smiled slightly as he spoke and then brushed past Drake, heading to a corner where there was an alcove waiting. He stopped at the alcove, fiddling with something.

Drake turned towards the taller man, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. He glanced towards the door, where beyond it Serenity waited. Varon and Amelda were waiting out there, keeping her from coming in. He didn't know what to expect, but for some reason he had a vaguely bad feeling about this new guy who seemed to be the leader. "And what exactly do you have that I want?"

The man smiled and turned around, holding up a picture of a very familiar person. Drake's eyes widened in shock and then he closed them, getting himself in check. "With your cooperation I can assist you with this problem. Of course, it isn't merely your cooperation I require, but your success in a single task that I might set for you. Should you fail, well then things won't go exactly as you might hope." He casually tucked the picture back into the alcove and then approached Drake.

"Of course, the skills that you possess revolve around dueling, so though you have proven your skills to others I require proof of your skills. Therefore you will duel a person of my selection. You will duel the last and strongest of my soldiers, Raphael." He gestured to the large blonde haired man who had been Drake's escort. Raphael gave him a brief nod and then walked over to another alcove and pulled two objects from it.

Raphael placed his Doom Slider on his arm and inserted a deck, allowing it to unfold. It slid around and formed itself into a long curved platform much like that of a normal duel disk, only it tapered into a point. "This is your last challenge before becoming part of the Doom Organization." Drake wasn't necessarily a genius, but the name Doom Organization didn't have a positive ring to it. And these were the people who were buying up KC stock? (RLP: 4000)

Drake grimaced but activated his own Doom Slider, watching as it slid into place. He inserted his deck and watched as the counter worked its way up to full. "Sheesh, this is kind of stupid. I doubt this guy is any good, after all, if he was why would you need me? So Raphael, who will go first?" (DLP: 4000)

Raphael drew five cards from his deck, signifying that it would be Drake who started things off. The punk duelist accepted this and drew six cards, starting the duel off. He surveyed his cards and then selected the ones he wanted to use. "I play one card face down. Now I summon Ghost Sorcerer(1700/1700)!"

The creature that appeared was a slightly faded image of a man in blue robes, holding a silvery staff in one hand. The handsome features were obscured slightly by how faded it was. This monster was the ghost of a deadly sorcerer, and he had great powers. This monster would show Raphael what he was made of. "I end my turn!" Raphael nodded and added a card to his own hand.

"My first card is the permanent magic card called Magic Power of the Pure Graveyard. Its effect will be revealed later. Next I summon Back-up Guardian(500/2200) in defense mode, and equip it with Shooting Star Bow-Ceal!" A blue demon appeared, crouching in defense mode. Then shining from the sky came a bow with a single arrow on a pedestal. The demon picked it up and placed it in its hands. Nearby was the face-up magic card that Raphael had activated.

Drake recognized the type of card that Raphael had played. Shooting Star Bow-Ceal was a powerful equip card that reduced the equipped monster by one thousand attack points to allow it to attack directly. The only reason for equipping it to the weak monster that was Back-up Guardian was if Raphael intended to summon the bow's counterpart. "I see, a Guardian deck. I've never faced one before and I've heard good things about them. Show me what yours can do."

Raphael placed a single card face down on the field, and then finished his turn. Drake added a card to his hand, giving him a total of five. He looked over his cards and then placed one card down next to his other set card. Then he placed a monster next to his sorcerer. "I summon Ghost Magician(1700/1700) the counterpart to my Ghost Sorcerer! And with them together things will get worse for you!"

The monster was a faded magician in blackish robes, holding a golden staff in the opposite hand that the Ghost Sorcerer was using. It too had the faded image of a ghost, a magician that had long since passed from this world. Its effect might come in handy. "I end my turn at that!" Since he couldn't get past the Back-up Guardian yet he'd have to wait for the time being.

Raphael drew a new card, bringing his hand up to three cards. He selected two of them, keeping one in his right hand as he placed the other onto his field in a monster zone. "I summon Guardian Ceal(1700/1400) to the field since I have its bow already on the field." Drake nodded, his thoughts confirmed as the upright wolf-dragon in red armor appeared, stretching its wings and tail and clutching its small weapon in its large hand. The first true guardian had appeared.

"Now I equip it with Recycled Weapon, increasing its attack strength by three hundred. For my next move I send the weapon to the graveyard from being equipped on Ceal, thereby activating its effect to destroy one monster on the field. I destroy Ghost Sorcerer!" Guardian Ceal gripped the little dagger and then hurled it at the ghost, however instead of piercing the ghost it passed right through.

Drake held up a single card from his hand and smirked. "By discarding a card from my hand I can prevent Ghost Sorcerer from going to the cemetery. Nice try, but you failed anyways." He took the selected card and shoved it into his cemetery slot, dropping his hand down to a total of just two cards. Raphael merely shook his head and held his hand out to his own cemetery slot. A card ejected from it and he added it to his hand.

"If Recycled Weapon goes to the cemetery I can place it back in my hand. So now I equip it onto Ceal once again, and then send it to the cemetery, thereby returning it to my hand to destroy Ghost Sorcerer." Drake grimaced and discarded to protect it, and then was forced to do so again as Raphael repeated the process. The next time Ghost Sorcerer was destroyed since Drake had no cards left in his hand to discard.

"Fine, if Ghost Sorcerer has to go I'll just send Ghost Magician to the cemetery to either special summon a monster or to play a magic or trap card from it. Now I send him to the grave to set one card onto my field!" The Ghost Magician vanished and was replaced by a single face down card, next to Drake's two other set cards. They were all that stood between Drake and Guardian Ceal.

"I equip Guardian Ceal with Recycled Weapon once again, and now I have it attack you directly!" The monster rushed in, extending the dagger to do serious damage. However Drake was ready, and the card he has just set flipped up, revealing an image of the two now gone ghost magic users crossing their staffs together.

"I activate Spell of the Ghost Brothers, returning both of my ghost spellcasters to the field in attack mode and increasing their attack by five hundred each for the duration of the turn. Now Guardian Ceal collides with my Ghost Magician!" The magician blasted the wolf-dragon, starting to shatter it into tiny pieces. Not only that but Raphael would be taking damage from the destruction. (RLP: 3800)

"Activate quick-play magic card, Self Sacrifice! By paying one thousand life points I can keep one monster from being destroyed. So my Guardian Ceal remains in play. Now I place one card face down and end my turn." A single card appeared as Ceal reformed itself, keeping it in the game. Of course Drake didn't quite understand why Raphael would offer up one thousand of his life points just to keep Ceal in play, but then again this was a duelist he had never faced before. (RLP: 2800)

Drake drew another card and then pushed it into one of his m/t slots, taking up another space. "I play Ghost Medallion, which places my Ghost Magician out of play. Now he gains the ability to attack directly, but I can't defend with him either. So now he attacks your life points directly!" The magician unleashed a blaze of faded golden energy at Raphael, only to have it halted as Raphael's set card flipped up.

"Chain with Ravages of Time. This will send a directly attacking monster to the cemetery, and if successful it lets me destroy one magic or trap card on the field." Drake grimaced as his Ghost Magician shattered and he had to place it into the cemetery. Since it had succeeded Raphael selected his rightmost set card to destroy. Drake placed it in the cemetery, a bit frustrated that he had lost Mechanical Magic Mirror without getting to use its effect.

With nothing else to do for his turn, Drake ended, allowing Raphael to draw to start his turn. The large duelist displayed the Pot of Greed card and drew two cards into his hand. He looked them over and then nodded before playing the card. "I play Gravity Axe-Grarl, allowing me to special summon Guardian Grarl(2500/1000) thanks to its effect, equipping the axe on Grarl!" The monster that was summoned was a massive tan skinned reptilian humanoid wielding a shining double-sided axe that had dropped from the sky. He wore green pants and white straps.

"I send the weapon to the grave to destroy Ghost Sorcerer, and then I equip it again. Also, take note that you lost life points at the beginning of this turn. During each of my turns while Magic Power of the Pure Graveyard is in play so long as I have no monsters in the grave you take one hundred damage for each in your graveyard." The Ghost Sorcerer vanished into oblivion, and Drake took a glance at the counter on his Doom Slider. Indeed Raphael had spoken truly. (DLP: 3900)

"Now each of my monsters will attack directly!" Guardian Ceal and Guardian Grarl charged forwards, weapons at the ready as they moved to attack Drake. Ceal slashed at him with its dagger, forcing him backwards and cutting his life points by more then half. However with a monster of three thousand attack strength moving towards him Drake was about to lose unless he did something quickly. (DLP: 1900)

"I activate the Shrink magic card, cutting Grarl's attack strength in half for the duration of the turn!" His quick-play card went off and a half-sized Grarl struck him with its toy axe. The strike was nothing at that size, but the damage was still significant. He was going to be left with hardly any life points whatsoever. (DLP: 400)

The blue haired man looked on at the duel and shook his head in disappointment. "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you aren't a duelist of strength. Your reputation must be falsely earned. Defeating my other two soldiers must have been luck." Drake shot the taller man a glare and snapped a card off of his deck. He didn't even bother to look at it as he spoke to the blue haired man.

"I earned my reputation by using my true strength, and it's a reputation that I deserve. No matter what you believe I do have that strength, and I'll use it. I won't lose this duel, even if it means giving up what you consider victory. Now take your move Raphael, take it and lose." With that said he placed the single card onto his duel disk, making it the only barrier between him and Raphael's two powerful monsters.

Raphael glanced at the field and then waited as Drake spoke up again. "Tell me Raphael, are you a duelist of honor?" Raphael nodded his head once, and then Drake continued speaking. "Then why do you serve someone as creepy as this guy over here? A true duelist of honor doesn't bow and scrape, no matter the circumstances." (DLP: 200)

"My reasons are my own, and only if you prove yourself worthy will you earn the answers to them. Now I shall show you my honor in the only way I know how. I will defeat you at full strength. I play Holy Goddess Sword, and then since I have no monsters in my grave I can special summon Guardian Airtos(2500/2000). She gains 300 attack from the sword, but her other effect can't activate in this case. Guardian Airtos, attack him directly to end this duel!" The mighty angel warrior jumped into the air and at Drake, swinging her blade straight down at the punk duelist. Drake awaited the killing blow with a confident look on his face. Then at the last moment he pressed a button on his Doom Slider.

"Reveal trap card, Certain Defeat! Using this card I will give up my victory but I will keep myself from defeat! Certain Defeat turns your attacks this turn into direct attacks on both players!" The attack landed and Drake was shoved backwards, a full force of a nearly three thousand point attack nearly knocking him off his feet. Raphael staggered backwards under an equal force that struck him without a visible source. Both duelists stared at each other with a smirk on their features as life points counted down. (DLP: 0, RLP: 0)

The tall blue haired man clapped as the two of them powered down their duel disks. Then he handed a blank card to Drake and smirked widely. "You have proved yourself Daisuke. Now there is but one more test. All you have to do is catch this stone, and then you'll gain the power of the Doom Organization, and you'll be ready to get what you desire." The man tossed the stone into the air and Drake reached out, his muscles straining against magical forces that tried to push him back. Despite their best efforts he snatch it out of the air, and was astounded as a green glow burst up around him.

"Congratulations Daisuke, you've gained the power. Now allow me to introduce myself. I am Dartz. Now I will tell you what your mission will be." Drake glanced out the door where Serenity awaited and then back to Dartz. He could either choose not to accept and then return home with Serenity, or he could accept and potentially get the thing that he wanted above all others. Grimacing he looked up at Dartz and made his decision.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a nice bright day out in Domino City Park, and people were enjoying themselves, regardless of outside circumstances such as monsters that could approach at any time. The monsters had been quiet and hadn't shown up at all since a giant dragon had appeared in the sky the night before.

Amongst all these people were two who were walking nearly shoulder to shoulder, talking and occasionally laughing. They weren't completely shoulder to shoulder since the older of the two, the guy, was roughly half a foot taller then the girl. He wore his school uniform, not having bothered to change after he left school.

The girl wore a sun dress in a floral pattern that made her look quite pretty. Her brown hair was loose and flowing past her shoulders and her blue eyes sparkled in the sun as she laughed at something her companion said. Her name was Autumn Kurai, and her companion was Ryu Shigeru. They were talking idly and just enjoying the sun.

During the Battle City competition Autumn had given Ryu her number so that the older boy could call her if he wanted to. Ryu, having liked her for a while, decided to take her up on the offer and had called her to arrange a date just about a week after Battle City ended. She had accepted, and they had been dating ever since.

Ryu was aware that there had been another girl who had shown interest in him, but he had seen her as sort of a sister. Hinata Donovan was the younger sister of a boy who had been in a gang with him. The other boy had died, and for a while Hinata had blamed Ryu until she learned the truth of what happened. Feeling that he owed her a debt, Ryu had always sought to protect her whenever she was around. She of course had left slightly after Battle City to return home.

"And I saw that there were three holes and I couldn't help but looking." Autumn laughed as he continued the silly story he had been telling. This date was just a simple one. Neither had been able to think of any movies that were out that they wanted to see, and it was too early for dinner, so Ryu had taken her out for a coffee and a walk in the park. It was also fun just to watch some of the people who were dueling in the park.

Most of them were amateurs, and though he had primarily been one for quite some time, he had still been a Battle City Finalist, boosting his world rank. Of course the last time he had checked there were only a few thousand registered duelist who had a lower rank then he did, but that was still a few thousand. Unfortunately there were nearly eighteen thousand registered duelists in the entire world.

His rank fell just below that of thirteen thousand, meaning that there were nearly thirteen thousand duelists in the world who were ranked better then he was. Autumn on the other hand was a relatively high ranked duelist not only because she had achieved Best Four in Battle City, but because of her placing in other tournaments. Since she was ranked one hundred and forty-second on the scale, she had decided to assist Ryu in building his deck into a powerful force.

Practice duels with her and against Yugi and Joey at school had vastly improved his dueling skill. He still got creamed every time he faced any of those three, but it was certainly better than it had been before Battle City. In a single duel, not using the Super Advanced Rules, Drake had creamed him without losing a single life point. And that was without direct attacks.

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt when a man in jogging clothes and a bag over his shoulder stepped out in front of them. He was a very average looking man, about six feet in height with gray eyes and brown hair. "You and I are going to duel. It is a necessity of both you and I." Autumn quirked an eyebrow in surprise and Ryu started to protest. However the man completely ignored him, his eyes locked on Autumn's. Autumn could feel in her heart the reason that she was being challenged, though she couldn't put it to words. It was like something inside of her was trying to tell her. She had her deck in her pocket, but she didn't have a duel disk.

"I'll duel you, but I don't have a duel disk." The man shrugged and grabbed the pack that was hanging off of his shoulder. He opened it up and pulled out two duel disks, tossing both to the two others. Ryu and Autumn caught theirs and attached them, not quite sure what was going on. Ryu stepped back slightly as Autumn slid her deck into the slot and activated the duel disk. (ALP: 4000)

"I am called Tobaroshi, and I shall defeat you, for it is my purpose in life. Now let's duel!" He took another disk out of the bag, revealing a pure black disk of the same type. He slid it onto his arm and activated it, inserting his deck as he did so. As soon as he had drawn his five cards, he held up six fingers and then pointed to Autumn. (TLP: 4000)

Autumn drew her opening hand and then drew another card, starting things. She looked over her hand and decided that she would start the duel off slowly. "I play a monster in defense mode and set a single card face down. End turn!" The two cards appeared in front of her, one horizontal and the other vertical. Then it was time for Tobaroshi to start off.

As soon as Tobaroshi drew, Autumn chained with her trap card. "Activate Drop Off!" Tobaroshi shrugged and inserted the card into his cemetery slot. Then he selected two cards from his hand and loaded them into the duel disk, watching as they shimmered into view right in front of him. They were face down cards.

"Now I summon Swordsman of Landstar(500/1200) and end my turn." The little pale faced swordsman was summoned to the field, offering a bare minimum force against whatever Autumn might use. Most duelists wouldn't use a weak monster like that at all unless they had some sort of plan to trap the opponent or they ran dice cards like Joey Wheeler did.

Autumn started off with another card to her hand, and then she picked up the monster she had on her field and flipped it into attack mode. The field shimmered as endless stories of books appeared to surround them, revealing that her monster was Royal Library(0/2000). "Now I summon Gearfreed the Iron Knight(1800/1600). Did you know that Royal Library gains a magic counter for each card played, and by offering up three counters from it I can draw a card?"

She smirked as she took another card from her hand and displayed it to her opponent, revealing a fancy dagger that was an equip card. "Now I'm going to defeat you in a single turn using this magic card and the two monsters on the field. By equipping my dagger to the library I can gain a magic counter, but because it would be on Gearfreed it would be destroyed. When the dagger is destroeyd equipped I can put it back in my hand. In this way I'll draw every card I need to defeat you in this single turn. I equip Gearfreed with Butterfly Dagger-Elma!"

Tobaroshi smirked right back and motioned to one of his face down cards. It flipped up revealing a Swordsman of Landstar and a Kuriboh ganging up on a Buster Blader. "Activate trap card, Power of the Meek. This lets any monsters with one thousand or less attack points have a battle phase during your turn. So Swordsman of Landstar will attack your Royal Library!" The swordsman moved in and slashed it apart using its tiny sword. With that dead, Autumn's loop combo couldn't be completed. (ALP: 3500)

"Fine, then Gearfreed will attack and destroy Swordsman of Landstar!" The metal warrior raised its bladed arm and then charged straight at the little guy, its blade at the ready. Tobaroshi chained by activating his trap card, the Skull Dice card. The die bounced down and skipped about, determining what would happen. If the die landed on a three or less then her knight would win. If it landed on a four or higher then her knight would be destroyed.

Tobaroshi smirked again as the die stopped, showing six points proudly to the sun. "With a six your knight's attack power drops to a measly three hundred, making it easy money for my swordsman. Swordsman of Landstar, counterattack!" The little fellow cheered as the knight's power dropped rapidly, allowing the swordsman to cut straight through it, and destroy it completely. (ALP: 3300)

Autumn grimaced and loaded two cards into her duel disk, completing her turn. It was embarassing to not only have one of her loops defeated by an amateur, but also to have luck end up on the opponent's side and have both of her monsters eliminated in one turn. As soon as she was done, Tobaroshi drew a card and looked at it. "I told you that it was my purpose to defeat you. You didn't listen. I can't go against my purpose, or else nothing will matter. You cannot defeat me, for I must win, and you must lose! Before this duel is over you will learn your place, and your purpose."

He glanced at the card he had drawn and then slipped it into one of his magic zones, activating it's effect. As soon as the card's image appeared on the field Autumn knew she was in trouble. This wasn't going to end well at all, that was for sure. Tobaroshi's magic card could get rid of her advantages. "I play Sphere of Destruction, which lets me destroy all magic and trap cards on the field by discarding a single card from my hand!"

He deposited his card and then watched as black metal sphere emerged from the magic card and shot towards Autumn's set cards. It exploded, nearly knocking Autumn off of her feet and blasting her two set cards into oblivion. "Now Swordsman of Landstar attacks directly!" The little fellow attack her, forcing her backwards by a little bit and dealing a decent amount of damage. (ALP: 2800)

"The card I discarded was Repayment of Losses, so I get to draw a card now. And the card I've drawn will show you the kind of power that allows me to succeed in my purpose. Learn the meaning of true power as I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" Autumn narrowed her eyes at this, not recognizing the name of the card. She let out a cry of surprise as a green circle shot down from the sky and landed around them.

Beneath her she could see a green line moving until it had completed a six pointed star. Then a blaze of green power surged throughout the entire seal, washing over Autumn and Tobaroshi, and blasting Ryu onto his back outside of the seal. Autumn was shocked at what was going on. Tobaroshi just laughed at her. "The seal has granted me and my monsters dark power, increasing my strength and my swordsman's. Ryu was expelled because only the chosen duelists can be inside a sealed duel. And best of it all, the loser of a sealed duel loses their soul. That is the true meaning of this duel. You will understand the true meaning of life, because unless you gain your purpose and win this duel, you will be lost forever!" 

Autumn groaned, realizing just how trapped she was. If Tobaroshi was telling the truth then to win this would be the same as taking his soul...but to just give up would be like offering up her own soul on a silver platter. She was a duelist, so she wasn't going to just surrender. "I start my turn by playing Cost Down to reduce all monsters in my hand by two levels!" She deposited the necessary card into her cemetery to pay for Cost Down's effect, and then she took her last remaining card.

"I summon Gilfar Demon(2200/2000) in attack mode! Now, Gilfar Demon, destroy Swordsman of Landstar!" The demon flapped its wings and then unleashed a blast of flame that consumed the swordsman completely. The damage was going to be very severe, so Autumn was about to pull ahead in this duel. By five hundred points no less. (TLP: 2800) "What happened? There should have been five hundred more damage!"

Tobaroshi smirked and took one of the cards from his hand. "Well it's simple. The seal grants my monsters dark power, increasing their attack by five hundred and making them dark types. Making it better since you destroy my Swordsman of Landstar I can now special summon Swordmaster of Landstar(1900/1400) from my deck! Normally this level five requires a sacrifice, but you helped me out!" Autumn had no more cards to play, so her turn was over.

"I set one magic or trap card, and now I destroy Gilfar Demon!" His newest monster, a much taller version of Swordsman of Landstar wielding a curved blade, zipped across the field and sliced her demon in half. It shattered into holographic dust, and Autumn took the damage. However she equipped her demon to the Swordsmaster to decrease its attack power. (ALP: 2600)

"Though my turn is now over, I want you to know that your efforts to decrease my landstar's attack strength are pitiful. When it destroys a monster in battle it gains six hundred attack points, meaning you just managed to even things out and let it settle at twenty-five hundred attack points." Autumn looked up at the monster and saw that her opponent was right, and the swordmaster had actually increased its attack power.

"I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn!" That was all she could do, so she just had to hope that Tobaroshi had no way past it. This was getting bad, and she didn't have any way out of it. What the heck was wrong with this guy that he would risk his own soul for some purpose of his and some supposed purpose of Autumn's? Autumn wouldn't do something so stupid as that....so it just didn't make any sense.

"I set one card face down, and then I attack your set monster!" Tobaroshi's monster cleaved through the set creature of Autumn's revealing a gravestone with a giant hand reaching down. Suddenly Gilfar Demon reappeared on the field, and Swordmaster of Landstar gained eleven hundred attack points, sending it shooting up to thirty-six hundred.

"You flipped the monster form of Call of the Haunted(300/300) which lets me special summon a monster from my cemetery." Tobaroshi shrugged and finished his turn, confident that his mighty landstar could easily defeat any creature Autumn might use. Gilfar Demon had been no threat in the first place, so it wouldn't be a threat now.

"I play Pot of Greed!" She slipped two cards from her deck, noting that Tobaroshi's hand moved towards one of his set cards when she played Pot of Greed. However he chose not to use it at that moment. "I set one magic or trap card and summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress(800/2200) in defense mode!" A giant machine covered with spikes rolled onto the field using its treads and steadied itself for an attack.

Tobaroshi drew and then immediately slapped the card down. A little pasty faced creature similar to the Swordsman of Landstar was summoned, only it was dressed as a knight with a javelin. "I summon Knight of Landstar(900/1500) to the field. Then I have Swordmaster of Landstar destroy Gilfar Demon!" The blade wielder swung his weapon and cut down the demon, unleashing its spirit onto the field. Autumn smirked and took the card, ready to use it.

"Now I equip Gilfar Demon in spirit form to my own Gear Golem the Moving Fortress! And since its attack drops to three hundred I'll chain with Card of Lost Will, allowing me to draw five cards!" She smirked and pulled free five cards, replenishing her hand. Ryu cheered on the outside of the seal, happy that she was displaying her skill as a champion duelist. With more options she'd be able to turn this whole thing around, and maybe destroy the seal and save this wierdo.

"I chain with Compensation of Greed! Since you drew cards out of your draw phase, in this instance I can draw the same amount from my deck! With these five cards I've got as many options, so I set one trap card and play a permanent magic card called Landstar Dream. Then I end my turn!" One face down card appeared, followed by a face-up card depicting Swordsman of Landstar with a dream bubble of it riding a giant horse.

"I place two magic or trap cards face down, and play Grave Sacrifice, removing Royal Library and Swordsman of Landstar from play to summon Barrel Dragon(2600/2300)! Then I activate its special ability!" She tossed three coins into the air and watched as they all came down as heads, letting the Barrel Dragon load up and unleash a barrage of high powered bullets at Tobaroshi's stronger landstar monster.

"By discarding a card from my hand Landstar Dream allows me to protect my landstar from being destroy! And I also activate a permanent trap called Deteriorate! When I discard a card from my hand you take three hundred points of damage!" The bullets phased right through Swordsmaster of Landstar, leaving it intact. And worse yet, Autumn lost life points from it. (ALP: 2300)

"I attack Knight of Landstar with my Barrel Dragon!" The machine-dragon unloaded another barrage of bullets at the smaller monster. Again Tobaroshi discarded a card from his hand, leaving him with just one card left. Since he had discarded Autumn took damage, and that was all that could be done for the moment. (ALP: 2000)

"I play Mirage of Nightmare and end my turn." The permanent magic card appeared, and then it was Tobaroshi's turn. The duelist drew a card and watched as Autumn drew till she had four cards in her hand. Tobaroshi looked at his two cards and grinned, knowing what he could do. This would work quite well, so long as Autumn's traps didn't stop him.

"I set one card and have my landstar attack Barrel Dragon!" The warrior took off and swung at the machine, only to be stopped when both of Autumn's cards flipped up. Tobaroshi didn't recognize either of them, but by the confident look on Autumn's face, neither of them boded well for him.

"I activate Shield of Life which lets me discard my entire hand whenever I want to in order to negate an attack on me. My other card is also permanent, and its called Rejoining Army. Whenever I discard cards to pay for a cost they get returned to my hand immediately afterwards. So I discard my four cards and then get them back, negating your attack." A barrier sprang up and stopped the monster's attack, forcing him to end his turn with only one card left over.

As soon as Autumn's turn started she was forced to discard four random cards from her hand as a cost of Mirage of Nightmare, but they were returned to her hand just moments later, giving her a hand of five cards total. "I use Barrel Dragon's effect!" The three coins flipped up, and Tobaroshi grimaced as two of the three came up as heads. The dragon used its ability, but Tobaroshi discarded to save it and damage Autumn. (ALP: 1700)

Autumn declared an attack on Knight of Landstar, and watched as the bullets passed right through it. Tobaroshi laughed and displayed a card from his hand that he discarded to stop the attack. "The card I discarded to stop the effect was Repayment of Losses, so I had another card to discard. Looks like my landstars and my life points are safe for another turn, but your life points certainly aren't." (ALP: 1400)

"I play Renew Battle! By discarding my hand I can initiate battle once again, and of course I get my hand back as soon as the battle starts!" This time a bullet ripped right through Knight of Landstar, and since it was much weaker then Barrel Dragon it was easily destroyed. Not only that but the damage was quite heavy for Tobaroshi, making things much more even in the area of life points. (TLP: 1600)

"I chain with Last Will and Testament, letting me draw five cards from my deck!" Autumn nodded as her opponent drew a new hand, giving him more options for which to work with and discard with. With nothing else left to her, Autumn simply placed two of her cards down on the field and ended her turn.

Tobaroshi drew again, giving him a total of six cards. He grimaced and looked up at Autumn before slipping his card into play. "You don't get any of it do you? This duel...its all that I am. I learned early in life that it is my purpose in life to serve the greater good of man by ridding the world of thieves and decievers like you using the power of Orichalcos. They taught me that, and I'll prove that it's true. I'll force you to discover your own lack of a purpose, thereby destroying your life! To do so I play Genocide Bomb!" By the effect of the card he payed one thousand life points to destroy every card on the field. But he was able to discard a card from his hand to preserve his Swordmaster of Landstar and hurt Autumn again. (ALP: 1100)

"Swordmaster of Landstar(4200/1400) will attack you directly to finish you off!" With nothing in the way the blade wielder rushed across the field and slashed at Autumn, hitting her and slamming her against the barrier of the seal. She cried out in pain and slid down to her butt, staying there for several seconds. The other thing that was staying where it was happened to be Autumn's life points.

"But how is it possible? You don't have any cards on the field to protect you, I saw the attack hit, and you don't have a card in the graveyard that can stop an attack. So how?" Autumn grimaced as she forced herself onto her feet. Pressing a button she ejected her graveyard and displayed it to her opponent, revealing one of the cards that was on the top of it.

"Despite all your tough talk you're nothing but an amateur. You didn't realize that when you go to destroy cards, the player can still chain with those cards. So when you activated Genocide Bomb I chained it with Waboku. Since Waboku's effect pervades the field for the whole turn after activation my life points weren't damaged by your attack." Tobaroshi cursed wildly and then calmed himself, preparing to continue.

"I play one card face down, and then I'll play this card: Forceful Removal! For every card in my hand that I discard you have to discard one of your cards. So I'll dump my remaining two cards to force you to get rid of your entire hand! Now you've got no options and no field, so there's no way you can win! In this next turn you must either learn your purpose, or admit purposelessness. If you do that, I'll destroy you in the next turn." He finished his turn at that, and he was completely confident that he had it won. And that was the way it seemed to Ryu, because he couldn't see a way out of the mess.

Autumn shook her head in sadness, barely able to look at her opponent. "I didn't want it to come to this, I never wanted to hurt you at all. I don't understand exactly what you're talking about, but whatever it is it's not worth losing your soul over. I would rather have been your friend if you would have let me. I'll still be your friend if you allow it. Please, let's not fight like this." She walked up to Tobaroshi and extended her hand. He stared at it as if it were a wild serpent.

"You dare to offer such a thing to me you infidel?! You still don't understand do you? Very well then. You have just lost this duel. Now get out of my face and let me finish this duel once and for all!" He slapped Autumn's hand aside, stinging it. Autumn stared at him and shook her head sadly. Finally the young girl walked back to her side of the field, and drew her card. As she did so, all three of them could see the light that was coming forth from it.

Autumn held up the card, seeing only a blank card with a white background that she didn't recognize. Whatever it was, it was starting to gain an image. It was....it was the japanese symbol of friendship.....but she had never seen this card in her entire life. "I play....I play the Heart of Friendship!" The words came unbidden to her mouth, and she placed it into play, somehow knowing how it would work.

A bright white glow erupted from the card and formed a circle around the Seal of Orichalcos, and to Tobaroshi's surprise a blazing white symbol of friendship appeared on Autumn's forehead, much like the symbol of the Seal of Orichalcos blazed upon his. "But....what is this power? I've never seen anything like it!"

"I don't know exactly, but I feel that it's the right thing. It can be played in more than one manner...but now I see what it does in this case. This will allow us to swap monsters, however since I don't have a monster I gain control of your Swordmaster of Landstar. You can summon the first monster on my deck to the field in attack mode. It's a sign of friendship." A card shot out of Autumn's deck and landed on Tobaroshi's duel disk. In a blaze of light a Leaf Fairy appeared, with only a small amount of attack points. Since it was Autumn's creature originally, it couldn't gain dark power.

"I really am sorry Tobaroshi, I never wanted this to happen. But if this is what has to happen, then it is. I don't know what my purpose is, or whether I have a purpose. But I know yours wasn't just to win or lose this duel. Every person is more than just a purpose. Please, I don't want it to end this way. Offer me a way out. That's all I want." From the furious look on Tobaroshi's face, she knew she had said the wrong thing. The man's fists clenched in a sign of pure rage, his entire body trembling from his fury.

"You stupid bitch! All people are is purpose! Without purpose we are absolutely nothing! I have lost this duel, you have taken away my purpose. I have failed at it. Therefore there is only one thing left! With no purpose I have no meaning, so end my life in one attack! That is the only way out of this. Your purpose in this moment is my death, so finish me!" Autumn tore her eyes away from him, eyes stinging from the tears pooling up. This wasn't how things were supposed to be, she wasn't a killer. She just couldn't.

"I....I don't understand any of this. I don't want any of this. The Millennium Staff, the spirits within, or whatever this new power is. I don't want that responsibilty, I don't want to kill you. I just wanted to be a normal girl, is that too much to ask? " A whispered voice rose up in her head, chuckling darkly at her circumstances. It told her the fateful words that she never would have expected. 'If you won't do the necessary thing, then I supose I shall.'

A sudden change came over Autumn, and when it was done her hair was spiked out a bit, and there was a vicious and determined look in her eyes. Ryu couldn't believe what he was seeing. That look was the one she wore when Misuno was in control of her body....and Misuno was ruthless. The dark spirit controlling Autumn sneered at her opponent and thrust Autumn's right hand outwards, palm spread out. "You wish for death to claim you? Then so be it. Swordmaster of Landstar, send this worthless pile of crap straight to Hell!" The warrior cut Leaf Fairy down as if it was nothing, and with Leaf Fairy went the last of Tobaroshi's life points. The Seal of Orichalcos closed in around him, and all that was left was a living corpse, unable to express any feeling. (TLP: 0)

Autumn reverted to her normal self, and collapsed onto the ground, wrapping her arms around herself as she sobbed uncontrollably. Though she wasn't directly responsible for the man's passing, she felt as if she was. Suddenly a pair of arms went around her shoulders, embracing her and offering comfort. They were Ryu's. "It's going to be okay. Whatever is happening....it's going to turn out right. I don't understand this any better than you do, but I do know that together we can't fall."

"You have defeated the first sending. Your purpose has been revealed to you Autumn Kurai. You are the holder of the Heart of Friendship. In time you will come to understand that, to understand your purpose. When you do, you will be ready to understand true purpose as Tobaroshi did, as I do." Autumn and Ryu looked over their shoulders, and saw a man in a pair of khaki shorts and a white shirt standing several feet behind them. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him whatsoever, just like Tobaroshi. There was still something eerie about how normal the two seemed.

Ryu stood, stepping in front of Autumn in order to protect her. He clenched his bare fists and gritted his teeth, ready for a fight. "I don't know who the hell you people are, but if you think you can get away with threatening me or Autumn, you've got another thing coming. I'll knock your teeth out of your head before you can do a damned thing. And all this shit you assholes have spotted about purpose, I don't give a damn about any of that. It's just plain sick and twisted to manipulate people and think people can be tossed aside when they have no purpose."

The normal looking man glanced to the left, and then the right. A few gestures of his hands later, and some people around the park began approaching. Each of them was just as normal looking as Tobaroshi and this fellow were. There was a couple who had just been walking by, an older man who had been feeding pidgeons on a bench nearby, and a man in a business suit who had been passing by. Nothing whatsoever out of the ordinary. "You will go to Hangar 31 at the Domino Airport. There are tickets in the bag Tobaroshi has. Present those tickets and you will have a plane flight awaiting you. It can take you to your answers. If you wish revenge, or anything of that sort, simply follow my directions." He gestured again and the four people started approaching Autumn and Ryu. The older boy raised his fists, preparing for a fight. The four of them walked straight past them and stopped at Tobaroshi. They picked him up and started carrying him inbetween them.

"What are you doing with him?" This was the first time that Autumn had spoken since the duel had ended, and it shocked Ryu how fragile she sounded. He had never heard her like this. It was terrfiying to think that she could break like this, to know that she was vulnerable not just physically, but emotionally. And it was all because of these people that she had been hurt.

"He is a useless shell. He is to be disposed of. It is none of your concern." He started to turn around, but a sudden roar of power stopped his movement, and the movement of the other four. Ryu stared in awe as Autumn stood up, the Millennium Staff appearing in her hand, and the Eye of Ra burning on her forehead. She quietly leveled the staff to point at the man, and offered him a glare that was colder than ice.

"This is the Millennium Staff. It's power, it's purpose is two things. It can move souls between objects easily, and can even heal damage to souls. It's strongest power is that of Soul Obliteration. It would take every ounce of my power to use it, but if I do I can destroy your soul completely. No rebirth, no nothing afterwards. It's the absolute end. That's the ultimate power I possess, the power beyond inflicting death. You're going to leave him for Ryu and I to take to the hospital, or I swear I'll inflict that power upon you." The man stared at her for several seconds, and then he smiled. A calm smile of amusement. Ryu didn't understand how he could be calm in the face of such power and such a threat.

"I am not afraid of ultimate demise. I serve only the ultimate purpose. If I fall, I fall. And my companions will take my body with them to be disposed of, just as Tobaroshi's will be. By all means, inflict that ultimate death upon me if it is your desire." Autumn's eyes widened, and slowly the staff dropped to her side. The man smiled once again, and turned away to continue walking. The others followed him, but Ryu wasn't done with them. Starting off into a run he barreled in between them, swinging his elbow straight into the leader's face. Blood splattered across Ryu's shirt as his elbow bone broken the man's nose.

The others seemed confused by the sudden assault, and he used the confusion to drop them with a series of well aimed blows. The fight was over in a matter of seconds, leaving him as the only one standing. He smirked and cracked his knuckles, proud that he had done as Autumn had wanted without killing anyone. For all their talk these people hadn't been much of a threat. "What a bunch of wimps."

Ryu's eyes went out of focus momentarily as something blurred out in front of him, dropping down from a tree up above. The figure landed in a crouch, it's head staring up at Ryu. It was directly between him and the fallen wierdos. Whoever it was wore a brown robe that covered the entire body, with a head covering as well, including a piece that went over the bottom half of the face, obscuring the person's features from view. Cold eyes stared up at him, but Ryu found himself fixated by the symbol on left breast of the man's robe. The infinity symbol.

"These ones are off limits for you. If you want them, follow the directions given to you. Until we meet again infidel." The figure thrust one hand out, and a blast of wind ripped Ryu off his feet and sent him tumbling end over end past Autumn and to the ground in a heap, face down on the ground. He let out a groan, and then went limp, body unable to move. The brown robed stranger swept his robe around the ground of strangers, and a small tornado formed around them. When it finished there was nothing left of them, not the slightest trace.

Autumn rushed to her boyfriend's aid and helped him struggle into a sitting position. They both sat there for a moment, contemplating what would happen next. Finally Autumn broke the silence, speaking words Ryu never expected to hear from his mouth. "I want to make them pay. I'm going to take that ticket, I'm going to follow those directions, and I'm going to get to the bottom of this." The elder boy stared at her for several seconds, and finally came to a decision. With a single nod of his head, the decision was made. Together they could face any threat. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A circle of black robed men stood around a strange symbol etched into the dirt beneath them and between them. They were chanting words in a language that man had not heard for thousands of years. Suddenly a burning white light appeared in the center, depicting an image of Autumn Kurai with the symbol of friendship burning upon her forehead.

"So the first Heart of Man has been unleashed. Our sending did quite well to unleash this one, so now we have a target to cross off of our list. Move on to the next one." The image in front of them faded, and they each turned to see a person kneeling before them, a duel disk attached to one arm and a hood drawn over the head.

"Inform the next sending of his target. Inform him that his target is in Tokyo, Japan. Now we will see if our spells told us correctly. Let us see if this next one is the right one." Inside the circle another image appeared, depicting three figures walking through the streets of Tokyo. One was a bronze skinned woman, the next was a tall golden blonde haired man, and following them was a shorter boy with dark hair. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And that ends this chapter. Cool huh? Hope you all enjoyed it, so now read and review. Oh, if you guess where that line Ryu says during his date with Autumn comes from...you get a cookie.

WolfGeneral: Hehehe, yeah, Drake has got some serious power going on during this story.

Void Templar: Like I said to WolfGeneral, he does have power, and his skills have improved. Actually, there won't be much focus on the Doom Arc events really, it will just coincide with what's going on during the first part of this story.

Time Mage: It was said more than once during the first story that Drake has been involved in street brawling for quite a number of years, he's also stated how much he enjoys it. Read carefully and you'll see that Drake was on the ground when he caught the pipe so couldn't be thrown back, and used the chain to keep it from breaking his hand. Drake got a great opening hand against Amelda, but against Varon his hand was average. It was skill that let him combo his cards to use Varon's strategy against him. (Sorry about this being long, but I was catching up with three reviews.)

Original Cards

Drake: Ghost Sorcerer, Ghost Magician, Spell of the Ghost Brothers, Ghost Medallion

Raphael: Ravages of Time, Recycled Weapon

Autumn: Call of the Haunted(monster form), Shield of Life, Rejoining Army, Renew Battle, Heart of Friendship

Tobaroshi: Swordmaster of Landstar, Power of the Meek, Sphere of Destruction, Repayment of Losses, Compensation of Greed, Landstar Dream, Deterioration, Genocide Bomb, Last Will and Testament, Forceful Removal

Anime Original Cards

Drake: Mechanical Magic Mirror

Raphael: Self Sacrifice, Guardian Airtos, Holy Goddess Sword

Autumn: Grave Sacrifice

Tobaroshi: Seal of Orichalcos, Knight of Landstar 


	5. Broken

Author's Notes: Here is Ch.4 and....well that's all I guess. Read, enjoy, then review.

Chapter Four: Broken

Yugi and his friends have just arrived in San Francisco, California. They are now being taken by limo to see Pegasus in order to get some answers. While Yugi's friends were all looking out the windows, excited by the things they saw, Yugi was too worried about the events going on to find any enjoyment in any of it.

Because of the monsters appearing, Timeus, the Seal of Orichalcos, the mysterious trio working for something they called Doom, the strange stone, the god cards being stolen...it all came together to make him feel so worried that he couldn't find any fun in it. He was just focused on what was ahead, which was getting the promised answers from Pegasus.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile Seto Kaiba is heading on his private Blue Eyes Jet to Duelist Kingdom. Looking out over the island approaching below he can only think back to his last time at this island, when he had to struggle to get Mokuba back. It had been a long and arduous task that had nearly cost him and Mokuba everything.

The Blue Eyes Jet touched down and he and Mokuba exited the plane, taking his brief case and DD2 with him. To their surprise they found the main entrance already open, but no sign of guards anywhere. As they continued walking into and through the castle they could find no trace of anyone at all. It was as if everyone had vanished.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back at the San Francisco Airport, a large brown duffel bag has just been taken off of the plane. Inside the bag are Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood, who are hiding away in the bag so they can get to Duelist Kingdom. From the little they had heard, Pegasus had invited Yugi and his friends to his own personal headquarters for some reason. That had to be to give them rare cards, there was no other explanation.

Of course their plan had somewhat backfired, and now they were busy being bounced around and hoping their bag didn't get claimed by the wrong people. There was no guarantee of that, so they were just going to have to hope for the best. And considering their track record, that wasn't saying very much.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Seto Kaiba now stands at the edge of a great drop where the dueling platform could rise up. Walking out from the shadows on the opposite side was none other then Pegasus J. Crawford in his red business suit, platinum blonde hair hanging loosely and covering his left eye. Mokuba cowered behind Kaiba, seeking support. "Pegasus! Other than Kaiba Corp., Industrial Illusions is the only company that could produce these monsters! Explain yourself!"

Pegasus merely chuckled and pronounced the one thing Kaiba had been expecting. "Win the duel first, then you'll know the truth. It's as simple as that....unless you're afraid of a little rematch?" Kaiba grimaced at these words, remembering his previous duel against Pegasus. He had lost against the might of the magic card Toon World and had his soul trapped in a card just like his brother had. But last he knew, Taichi Nobuki had possessed the Toon World card, so there was no telling where it was now.

From beneath them the platform rose up, connecting itself and allowing the two duelists to walk out into their proper positions. Pegasus placed his deck down in its place, but Kaiba chose to connect his DD2 with the platform, and then inserted his dueling deck into the disk and preparing for the duel to start. Both duelists drew opening hands and started off.

Mokuba left to go watch from the sidelines, while the duel began. Pegasus started simply by placing a single card face down and then summoning the same alligator monster that he had used against Kaiba in their first duel. It was in defense mode with sixteen hundred defense points. Kaiba sneered and set a card face down before summoning his Spear Dragon and attacked the alligator using its trample ability to deal damage while the other monster was in defense mode.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back to Yugi and his friends, things had gone bad. After being attacked by a group of bikers and having their ride blown up, and being saved by someone Joey insisted was Mai, the group had set off for Industrial Illusions again. While they did this, Rex and Weevil had been picked up by Duke Devlin who had helped retrieve their wallet from a mugger. Finding out where Yugi and the others would be, he let the two duelists drive with him to the headquarters.

Upon getting to Industrial Illusions the gang found that nobody was there. A motorcycle dropped from above, and to their surprise Mai stepped off of it. Though greetings were exchanged, Mai revealed that she had wanted the power offered and had used it to take Pegasus' soul after defeating him in a duel. Then she swiftly challenged Joey, and activated the Seal of Orichalcos.

"I'll prove my strength by defeating you! I summon the Harpy Lady(1300/1400) in attack mode, and it gains dark power! Now my turn ends, and I challenge you to show me your strength in this duel!" Joey stared at her and at his duel disk, horrified at what was happening. His mind could form only a few words, and they were simple ones. In fact, one thing was forefront on his mind.

Why?  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While this was going on, a few things are currently happening back in Japan. In Domino City both Ryu and Autumn are headed towards the Domino Airport. Their decision had been made to confront the new threat that was arising, and they were both at the ready. After a bit of deck tweaking the two had set out for the airport with tickets in hand. Each one had their silver duel disks strapped to their arms in standby mode, with their decks in their pockets, ready to be used at a moments notice.

The card that Autumn had gained in her duel against Tobaroshi, the Heart of Friendship, was nowhere to be found. It wasn't in her deck, or anywhere else. And yet she continued to tell Ryu that she knew, deep inside, that it was with her even if they couldn't see it. This threat was entirely different from Taichi in such a fundamental way that Ryu couldn't really place a finger on it. Autumn on the other had knew exactly what the fundamental difference was.

Taichi hadn't been human. Their new enemies were all too human, and all too convicted. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In Tokyo something else was happening. What was happening was a certain top-knotted bi-eyed duelist was busy walking with Dalin and Isis back to Isis' office at the museum. They had just finished eating lunch and were going back to analyze some more of the texts that Isis had at her disposal. There were many questions left to be answered, and the answers they had so far were highly disturbing.

"Kai Kaethen, your last few minutes on this plane have just arrived." The three duelists stopped walking at these words, and looked around to find the source. A man dressed in a pure white robe that covered his entire body, including his head, seemed to flow out of the brick of the building next to them. He stepped out in front of them, spearing them with his dagger-like gaze, the only part of his face that was truly visible, and even that was only truly visible on one side. Kai noticed the infinity symbol embalzoned upon the left breast of his robe, and started to make the connection.

"You're one of them. One of those people.....the Order of the Fallen Stars, or whatever the proper name is." The man kept his gaze on Kai for several seconds, and then turned his glare upon Dalin, his eyes so hard it was as if they were trying to kill Dalin just by looking at him. Seeing this problem as his own Kai stepped forward to confront the newcomer.

"You are mostly correct Kai Kaethen. I will grant this one moment of relief in knowing that it isn't I who has the task of crushing you into nothingness. Nor will it be a true member of the Order. I believe you will find your opponent to be most satisfactory." The man in white gestured off to his left, where the opponent was approaching. The chosen opponent was just under six feet, about sixteen, with spiky blonde hair. He was wearing a blue denim jacket over a t-shirt depicting a nuclear hazard symbol. Kai recognized him, because this was Kevin Hunter. Kai's eyes narrowed as he noticed a pure black duel disk on Kevin's arm.

"Why should I duel any of you?" Kevin grimaced and drew an opening hand, activating his duel disk which slid out into position. Kai refused to activate his own, and simply stood there, waiting. He cast a look back to Dalin, silently asking if Kevin would remember the things that had happened. Dalin shook his head ever so slightly, confirming that Kevin would know nothing of the happenings in the Shadow Realm.

"Listen up, the name is Kevin Hunter, and you don't have a choice. If you don't duel me, a bomb under the street will detonate. If you don't defeat me in the next thirty minutes, then the bomb will also detonate, probably killing us and at the very least killing dozens of people." Kai's eyes widened and he again turned to Dalin, looking for counseling. The older duelist nodded, and a confirming nod was given by Isis. Kai slowly gave a nod in response, and activated his duel disk, putting it in place and drawing his starting hand. (KLP: 4000, KeLP: 4000)

Kai drew six cards and selected the cards he wanted to use. He started off by picking a monster to summon. "I don't know why you're doing this Kevin, but I don't intend to let you get away with it! I summon Mirage Mage(1900/800) to the field and place two cards face down! End turn!" His powerful magician appeared, revealing a cloaked figure in a pale gold robe wielding a long staff. This monster had a powerful effect that Kai might be able to utilize. The man in white leaned back up against the brick wall, idly watching the duel. However, his eyes kept flicking towards Dalin and Isis.

Kevin grinned at the challenge and added another card to his hand before swiftly placing a single card face down and watching it appear on the field in front of him. "That card goes face down, and then I summon Masked Dragon(1400/1300) in attack mode! Now hurry up this duel before the bomb goes off, or you'll be responsible for so many deaths that you'll never forgive yourself!" Kai's brow furrowed as he listened to his opponent speak. Despite the other duelist's words....it was as if he was speaking about himself. Was this something Kevin was being forced into, or was he imagining things?

"I place a monster in defense mode and then I attack your Masked Dragon with my Mirage Mage!" The gold robed spellcaster raised his staff and fired a beam of golden energy at the armored looking dragon. At the very last moment a familiar trap card flipped up, one that Kai knew the effect of. It would allow the Masked Dragon to defeat his Mirage Mage in battle.

"Reveal trap, Energy Drain! Now since you have three cards in your hand my dragon will gain six hundred attack points, making it a full one hundred points stronger then your magician! Now, Masked Dragon, counterattack with Masked Flame!" The dragon reared its head back and spewed forth a jet of flames, only to have the magician's beam splash the fire aside and streak onwards to shatter the dragon into pieces. "What happened?" (KeLP: 3500)

Kai smirked and gestured to the set card on his right. It was now flipped up, revealing a purple background and showing a hexagram with some sort of spell going on in the center. It looked similar to the Magic Jammer card, only a slightly different design. "My Trap Jammer card allowed me to discard a card to negate the activation of your trap. Since Energy Drain didn't increase your dragon's power my Mirage Mage was victorious."

Kevin grimaced and glanced briefly at the middle of the street. Then he turned his gaze back to the field and ejected a card from his deck. Kai started to ask the question, but Kevin beat him to the punch. "When Masked Dragon is destroyed I can special summon a dragon from my deck with fifteen hundred or less attack points. So I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth(1500/800)!" The dragon that appeared was a creature with two fierce looking heads, but it was no threat to Kai's Mirage Mage.

"I place one magic or trap card face down, and then release my turn, passing control to you! Now let's hurry this up!" His card appeared, replenishing his supply of cards to protect him that were on the field, however it also dropped the number of cards in his hand to just one, whereas Kevin would have five cards as soon as he drew, giving Kevin the numbers advantage. As he drew, Kevin glanced at his watch and then quickly back up to the duel.

"I play two magic or trap cards face down. Now....now I have to do what has to be done. I'll change everything around with this card, using its power to grant me the advantage! I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" Kai didn't recognize the name of the card, and he was shocked as a seal shot down from the sky and closed them in together, forcing Dalin and Isis out. He moved to go to them, but was bounced backwards by the seal.

The white robed man chuckled at Kai's fall. "Kaethen, nobody leaves while the Seal of Orichalcos is active, nobody leaves and nobody gets in. BY playing this card Kevin has become what he has to be for this duel, he has acknowledged the darkness within him and gained dark power, increasing his strength and boosting all of his monsters by five hundred!" Now, blazing upon Kevin's forehead was the same seal symbol that enclosed them, and the same symbol burned upon each of the heads of his dragon.

"Twin-Headed Behemoth, attack and destroy Kai's Mirage Mage!" Kai quickly flipped up his set card, a Magician's Select trap, depicting the image of a Dark Magician on it. Using the trap while he had a magician on the field he could destroy the weakest monster on his opponent's field when he attacked. Kevin shrugged and ended his turn.

The moment Kai drew, he watched in horror as the Twin-Headed Behemoth rose again. Kevin threw back his head and laughed hysterically, the darkness behind his new confidence showing. "After being destroyed, Twin-Headed Behemoth can rise again one time with his attack and defense set at one thousand a piece. But with the Seal in play that becomes 1500, giving me more breathing room." Kai growled deep in his throat and looked at his new card, hoping for a good card to work with.

"Mirage Mage is stronger than your dragon now, so I'll just have it attack and destroy it!" The Mirage Mage raised its staff and unleashed a barrage of energy bullets. The dragon responded by firing off twin jets of flame that zipped straight through the bullets and ignited Kai's magician, burning it to cinders. Kai was amazed not just at his magician's defeat, but because he had felt the heat, and nearly been burned by it! This stuff was way too real.

"Looks like you fell for my trap Kai. One of my placed cards was the equip card called Dark Dragon Nails, which boosted my dragon by seven hundred points, making it three hundred stronger than your magician. Looks like you fell for an easy trick." Kai's life points fell, and slightly disheartened the bi-eyed duelist set a single monster in defense mode and then declared the end of his turn. (KLP: 3700)

Kevin drew a card and then intoned his next move. Kai watched as Kevin's other set card flipped up, revealing a trap card, but with the symbol for permanence. It was a continuous trap card, one that showed a Fallen Angel Marie holding up a wrapped bento box. "My Gift of the Fallen will increase my life points for each of my monsters that goes to the cemetery. But I've still got more. I set a single card face down and then I summon Alligator Sword(1500/1200)!" The lizard warrior appeared and gained dark power, making it stronger than ever at two thousand points.

"Alligator Sword will destroy your newest set monster!" The lizard creature rushed forwards and swung its blade down. It shattered the monster, revealing a little squirrel that looked as if it had been flattened by a passing car. Suddenly Kai ejected two cards from his deck and placed them both onto his monster field, and two horizontal set cards appeared in front of him. Kai's life points also shot up. (KLP: 4700)

"Nimble Momonga huh? Well that's fine, I'll just avoid them for now. Twin-Headed Behemoth, use your Twin Flame attack and burn his other set monster into cinders!" The dragon opened its two sets of jaws wide and unleashed two intertwining streams of flame that collided against Kai's monster. However it was revealed as a powerful looking magician holding an ivory staff. It used the staff to wield off the flames and remained completely unharmed.

"My Steadfast Magician(500/2200) has defense points equal to your dragon's attack, therefore nothing happens. So now you can't get past one monster, and if you go after my two others you'll only increase my life points. What will you do now?" Kevin growled and motioned for Kai to start his turn. The magician duelist gladly complied, drawing a new card to bump his hand back up to two.

"I'll play a monster in defense mode and end my turn!" He grimaced as all he could do was to play defensively. He couldn't just sit back and let Kevin take this duel, and just defending was only helping the clock tick towards their demise and the deaths of helpless people around them. Should they say anything about the bomb he was certain it would just be triggered, and nothing would have been accomplished.

Isis looked up at Dalin and asked a question that had been on the tip of her tongue since the start of the duel. "This Seal of Orichalcos, it's power feels great, but do you think it can be defeated?" Dalin stared straight at the robed man, and slowly nodded his head in the afirmative. He could think of two ways to get rid of the Seal of Orichalcos, unforunately he doubted Kai had the cards necessary to do so. The question that was brimming in his mind was whether Kai was willing to win this duel or not.

Kevin seemed furious at Kai for just playing defensively and he practically ripped the next card off his deck. He stared at it for several seconds and then slapped it onto the field. "I won't let you just ride through this duel! I'll end it as quickly as I possibly can, and I'll do it by summoning my ultimate monster. And the first step towards that is by summoning Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV4(1600/1000)!" The monster that was summoned was a relatively small silver dragon with a fearsome fiery aura about it.

Kai quirked an eyebrow, uncertain as to what this creature was. On the outside Dalin stood still, not making any motion to offer advice. Isis looked at him beseechingly, but he shook his head. "I can't coach any duelist through a duel. It isn't right. Kai has to win this duel for himself and for his reason, I can't help him in that or it wouldn't be right. I don't want you helping either." The tanned Egyptian woman nodded in understanding, and turned back to watch the duel continue.

"I have Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV4 and my Alligator Sword both attack and destroy your two remaining Nimble Momongas! Then my behemoth will follow up by destroying your newest monster!" The three monsters attacked, one with silver fire, one with a sword, and the last with twin streams of fire. Each easily managed to destroy their targeted monsters. Two little squirrels and a blonde female magician that appeared briefly before vanishing under the torrent of flame. (KLP: 6700)

"Now I end my turn and reveal the truth! During the end phase of a turn that my LV4 destroys another monster in battle, I can send the LV4 to the cemetery to special summon a Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV6(2300/1600) from my deck or hand to the field! And since a monster of mine went to the cemetery I gain seven hundred life points! However, after the initial increase I will only gain five hundred life points a turn." The monster that replaced the silver dragon was a larger version of the same, and far more dangerous in appearance. With a boosted 2800 attack power it was nothing to sneeze at. (KeLP: 4200)

Kai took a deep breath and drew a card. He looked at it and then kept himself from making any sort of reaction. He looked over at the new monster, wondering if it could bring out another stronger version. Kai had never encountered any monster like this before, and he had no idea of what to make of it. What would you call such a monster, a level monster? "Play one card face down. End turn!"

Kevin pulled free his next card and then played it onto his field, watching as it appeared, taking up another monster zone. The new monster was also a dragon, armored and armed with sharp claws and small spikes from its armor. "My Armed Dragon LV3(1200/900) will give you a little more to worry about. But wait, there's more! Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV6, destroy Steadfast Magician!"

The mighty beast unleashed a torrent of silver flame that roared over his defensive magician, obliterating it completely. But Kai wasn't just ready to be finished off. "Reveal trap card, Soul Crosswire! My deadliest trap costs me one thousand life points, but it lets me special summon a level four monster from my cemetery and a level four monster from my deck when you destroy one of my monsters! So I'll raise my two Magician's Valkyrie(1600/1800), one of which you destroyed earlier. Now with both on the field you can't attack!" The two blonde spellcasters shimmered into view, crossing their wands to project a thin energy dome in front of them. (KLP: 5700)

"Fine, but be warned, now is the moment of the appearance of the first of my two ultimate beasts! I end my turn and send LV6 to the cemetery to special summon Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV8(3000/1800), the final version!" In place of the previous dragon was a dragon at least twice as large as a Blue Eyes, and more fearsome then the white scaled beast could ever be. The silver dragon let out a roar of triumph as it appeared, easily dominating the field. (KeLP: 4700)

Kai drew his next card, nervous about the situation. He was facing down an unknown monster with an unknown effect. It had thirty-five hundred attack points, making it stronger than anything his deck could bring out. His only defense at this point were two monsters that would only last as long as Kevin didn't get a card with a monster removal effect. "I play a card face down. That's all I can do." 

"Now that it's my standby phase I'll introduce you to the second to last phase of my second ultimate creature. I sacrifice Armed Dragon LV3 to special summon Armed Dragon LV5(2400/1600)!" Yet again a smaller dragon was replaced by a larger and more fearsome version of itself. Now Kai was facing down two monsters with attack power rivaling that of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. One stronger, and one only barely weaker. He also had a very bad feeling about those monsters as Kevin hadn't revealed any effects yet.

"Armed Dragon LV5 allows me to discard a monster from my hand to destroy one face-up monster on your side of the field with equal or lesser attack power. So I'll discard Ryu-Kishin Powered with sixteen hundred attack points to destroy the Magician's Valkyrie on the right!" The dragon opened its jaws wide, gathering up the energy for its assault. It pushed its head forward and vomited up a stream of dark red energy that exploded against the barrier his magical women put up, and then pierced straight through it. (KeLP: 5200)

The light faded, and revealed the two magical girls unharmed, looking slightly sweaty but their barrier still intact and still keeping him safe from any attack his opponent might make. "By discarding a card from my hand I was able to use my Effect Break trap card, negating the use of your monster's effect. It also saved my two monsters." He slid the last card in his hand into the graveyard, glad that he had managed to protect himself for one more turn. He was certain Kevin's other card was not another monster card.

The dragon duelist grimaced and then pressed a button on his black duel disk. "Reveal trap card, Liquid Soul! By removing the monster I just discarded from the game I can draw a brand new hand!" Kevin happily placed his Ryu-Kishin Powered into his pocket and then drew cards from his deck until he held six cards. He lifted his head from looking at his cards to say what his next move would be, but Kai was already in action.

"Now that my hand is empty I can finally use my set card, Power Balance! Since I've got zero cards it forces you to discard half your hand, and then I draw cards equal to the number you discarded! So now we'll be on even terms when it comes to hand size." Kevin quirked an eyebrow and then nodded, selecting three cards that he took away from his hand. Kai swiftly drew three cards, giving him more options. But to his surprise, Kevin was smiling. The white robed man was giving him an appraising look, as if surprised that Kai had so successfully set up Kevin.

Kevin's response to the use of Power Balance changed the situation. "The three cards I'm discarding by your card's effect are Dark Gremlin, Vorse Raider, and Big Shield Guardna. Each of which are monsters. Therefore I'll gain fifteen hundred more life points, setting me easily ahead of you!" He shoved the three named monsters into his graveyard and then laughed as his life points started ticking upwards, making them quite a bit higher than Kai's were, and quite a bit higher than they had been when the duel had started. (KeLP: 6700)

"I've got another move to make. I set one magic or trap card and then I use the magic card that will reveal my second ultimate monster to you earlier than expected. Go Level Up! This magic card lets me sacrifice a level monster to special summon the next level, so I sacrifice my Armed Dragon for Armed Dragon LV7(2800/1000)!" The last form of the hideous dragon took its place beside Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV8, its foot steps making heavy impacts that shook the entire street. Kai noticed for the first time that people had stopped to watch the duel. (KeLP: 7200)

Taking a deep breath the bi-eyed duelist plucked another card off the top of his rapidly thinning deck and examined it. He looked at his other cards and then at the field. Despite the effectiveness of his magical girls as a defense, he couldn't count on them forever. He was going to have to clear a path to Kevin's life points if he wanted to even put a scratch in the other duelist. "So much for your ultimate monsters, because they're about to be worm food. Go, Dark Hole!"

A giant black vortex appeared up above the field, its terrible forces pulling on each of the monsters. They were all struggling, but they couldn't hold up for long. It would only take a little bit more effort before the field was cleared of monsters. Sure it would increase Kevin's life points, but it would also even things up. "Its time I turned this duel around!"

Kevin stared up at the vortex with a look of mild amusement. He turned to his massive silver dragon and spoke his command. "Black Flare Dragon of Horus.....close that rift." The dragon belched up a swirling beam of silver and gold energy that convulsed around the Dark Hole. Kai couldn't believe what he was seeing, but the assault of the dragon was closing his vortex. The dragon had just fizzled his magic card. "But....how?"

The dragon duelist clenched his right fist and held it up, laughing as his dragons let out their own ear splitting roars. "Don't you see? I told you that my dragons were my ultimate creatures, and this is one of the reasons why! Black Flare Dragon of Horus LV8 allows me to negate the activation and effect of any magic card I choose...and destroy it. I wanted to keep my dragons, so I just negated and destroyed your vortex."

Kai's body clenched up as he realized just how bad the situation was. A dragon with over three thousand attack that could negate magic cards. Another with over three thousand attack that, if it was anything like its predecessor, had a powerful monster destruction effect, and three other strong monsters that could cut through his life points like butter. Things probably couldn't get any worse. But of course, like in all such things, he was wrong.

"Now that you understand the hopelessness of this duel, I want you to know that I won't exactly enjoy what happens when you lose. I never wanted to take your soul or anybody else's, but if that's what has to be done so that....damn it! I didn't want this to happen." Kai felt as if the floor had fallen out from under him. Once before he had experienced losing his soul, and now here the situation was presented before him again. It was not something he wanted to repeat, but it wasn't looking like he had much choice in the matter. Something was definitely up with Kevin, and he was fairly certain it had something to do with the strange man in white.

Kai didn't know how he could win, but he did know how he could lose. He also knew what losing would mean in this situation. Not only would his soul be forfeit, but all these people around them would also have their lives forfeited....and for what? What was the reasoning behind all of this. "Please....please I want you to tell me why this is happening. Why is this happening? Please. Tell me!"

Kevin's fists shook with rage as he spoke, and Kai could literally feel his anger. "You've got no reason to ask me that! Continue your turn or forfeit the duel and the lives of all these spectators along with your own soul! There's a duel going on, not a flashback session!" Kai sighed and simply placed a monster onto the field and finished his turn.

The dragon duelist selected another card off the top of his deck, and he smirked at the sight of a familiar wind type monster. Using this creature he could turn the duel in his favor. "I discard Spear Dragon for Armed Dragon LV7's effect! Dragon's Inferno Rage!" The beast opened wide its mouth and poured forth liquid death. A crimson stream of energy that boiled Kai's two magical women alive, leaving no trace of them whatsoever. The effect of the dragon had destroyed both with great ease. (KeLP: 7700)

"Now, Alligator Sword attacks your set monster!" The lizard warrior charged in and slashed its weapon down, cutting apart the monster that was there. It shattered, and then several seconds it reformed, revealing a silvery mechanical pod that was familiar to just about any duelist who had been playing long enough. The Cyber Jar which would destroy all monsters on the field.

"I won't allow my monsters to fall like that! Activate set card, Absolute Negation! Your monster remains destroyed, but mine are protected from any destructive effects. And my turn is over at that juncture. Go ahead and make your peace before my dragons devour you alive!" He ferociously completed his turn, and it was left to Kai to continue the duel. The bi-eyed duelist could only draw his next card, hoping for some good to come of it.

"Pot of Greed!" He used the familiar card to draw two more cards, giving him a total of four. He stared at three of the cards in his hand and then shook his head in wonder. He slowly slid two of them onto the field and then placed the other onto his disk. "Two cards face down and a monster in defense mode. My turn is over, but I'm certainly not beaten yet!"

Kevin shrugged and picked up another card, looking at it for several seconds before deciding on his move. "I sacrifice my Alligator Sword in order to summon the mighty earth dragon, Death Volstargaf(2200/1700)!" The lizard warrior vanished in a ray of light and was replaced by the much stronger black dragon with its reddish armor on its chest. Kai didn't know much about the monster, but he had heard that its strength lay with its two effects. What they were, he didn't know. Of course, since a monster went to the grave, Kevin gained more life points. (KeLP: 8200)

"Death Volstargaf, attack and destroy Kai's set monster with your Demon Flame Breath!" The dragon sent a gout of magma from its mouth, exploded over Kai's set monster. The monster was briefly revealed as an angel in a school uniform wearing glasses. It was the Hysteric Angel, an angel type monster with a bare minimum five hundred defense points. Dalin was surprised completely by the sudden show of the angel. (KLP: 5200)

"See the power of my Death Volstargaf? Whenever it destroys a monster in battle and sends it to the cemetery, regardless of what other damage is applied you automatically take five hundred points of damage, making it a fantastic trample monster!" The mighty Death Volstargaf let out a triumphant roar at having its effect revealed, and some of the spectators were awed by how completely Kevin was dominating the duel. So many powerful dragons with so many deadly effects. It was hard to keep up with such things.

Kai just grimaced and pressed two buttons on his duel disk. His two trap cards sprang up, revealing exactly what they were. "I'm using two traps, Chain To Rivaling Souls is the first! I special summon a monster from each of our graves in attack mode with their powers reduced by five hundred. So I special summon your Spear Dragon(1400/0) and my own Steadfast Magician(0/2200)!" The two named monsters appeared, one a robed magician and the other a blue dragon with a needle-like nose.

"That's not all! Because I've special summoned my Steadfast Magician I can activate my placed card, Magician's Ordination! It automatically ends the turn in which a magician is special summoned. Then I get to draw a card!" Kevin grimaced as his turn automatically ended, and Kai drew a card, giving him two cards in his hand. Now it would be Kai's turn, and he had to hope for something good, otherwise he would be finished for sure.

Kai placed two fingers on his next card and held them there for several seconds. He stared at his opponent and then at his card, looking at the field an considering his options. There were plenty of cards in his deck, and he knew them all by heart. But only one card that he possessed could possibly turn the tide. If he drew any card but that one card he would lose the duel. And he couldn't afford to lose. "Draw card!"

The card came up in front of him, and its image was like a shining beacon of light through the darkness that was surrounding him. There was his opponent with no cards to get in the way, and here he was with three cards in his hand. Everything was falling into place. "One of the side effects of Chain To Rivaling Souls is that the monsters revived in such a way can't be sacrificed unless I discard one card for each I wish to sacrifice."

He took two of the cards from his hand and held them up, showing them to Kevin. The other duelist recognized both images, and knew that neither card was useful to the other duelist. Why was he being shown them? "By discarding these two cards from my hand I open my options and allow myself to sacrifice my two monsters!" He deftly shoved the two cards into his cemetery slot, leaving him with one card in his hand. The one card that was that beacon of light to him.

"No matter what monster you summon you can't possibly compare to the might of my dragons! No monster that can be sacrificed for by just two monsters can compare to the thirty-five hundred attack points of my Black Flare Dragon of Horus, or even the thirty-three hundred of my Armed Dragon. In fact, few two sacrifice monsters can hold up against the superior strength of my Death Volstargaf's twenty-seven hundred! What can you possibly summon that could compare to my monsters?" The crowd agreed, those who actually played the game knowing the truth of the matter. It was absolutely impossible.

Dalin smirked and raised one hand to point at Kevin, declaring in a loud voice his support of Kai. "You're wrong Kevin! In the entire game of Duel Monsters there is one monster that in this situation can triumph over your mighty dragons! And he has drawn that card!" Kai nodded once and picked the two monsters on his duel disk off of it, sliding the magician into his cemetery and tossing the dragon to Kevin so he could do the same.

"Dalin is telling the truth. Now witness the might of what has just become the strongest of my monsters, know it and fear it! Because this is what I have drawn!" He flipped the card around and displayed it to Kevin. As soon as the duelist saw it his eyes lit up in fear, as he understood exactly the trap he had placed himself in. He hadn't realized that his opponent possessed that card, and he hadn't even thought of it until this moment. The man in white just stared coldly at the proceedings.

"Rise up mighty Buster Blader(2600/2300)! And because there have been a total of ten dragons that have been played both on the field and in the cemetery, my warrior gains a total of five thousand attack points!" The purple armored warrior took shape on the field and then raised his blade, gathering in the power of the ten dragons. It formed into his sword and all things were clear, for its power shot up to an astounding seventy-six hundred.

"Buster Blader, I wish for you to destroy the Armed Dragon. Attack it with your Dragon Buster!" The blader let out a cry of triumph as it swept its huge blade in a sweeping arc. With that one stroke it decapitated the once incredibly powerful monster, shredding it into tiny little holographic pieces. Kevin winced as the holographic shards flew at him, nearly striking him. Slowly his life points dropped, and he let his shoulders droop slightly. (KeLP: 4400)

Dalin quietly applauded Kai's choice of dragon to attack first. An amateur might have gone after the Twin-Headed Behemoth first in order to inflict a little bit more damage, but Kai had chosen the real threat he wished to eliminate and then destroyed it. Without the Armed Dragon as a threat, Kai could summon more monsters without fear of having them destroyed. His next target would have to be the Black Flare Dragon. "My turn...is over."

Kevin grimaced in disgust at what he had. He quietly placed the card face down and then moved his four remaining monsters into defense mode. They shifted themselves until they were sufficiently protected. His voice was listless as he spoke. "I set one card face down and move my monsters into defense mode. That's all."

Kai nodded and drew another card. "I place one card onto my field. Now Buster Blader will destroy Black Flare Dragon!" The mighty warrior jumped onto the dragon's back, and despite its protests and attempts to dislodge the warrior, it was unsuccessful. With a single stroke of its sword the blader managed to gut the dragon, destroying it in its practiced manner. Since it was in defense mode no damage was inflicted, and since it went to the cemetery Gift of the Fallen increased Kevin's life points. (KeLP: 4900)

The dragon duelist drew his card listlessly and then set it on the field next to his other card, giving him a total of three magic or trap cards on the field counting his continuous trap card. He shuddered as he was unable to do anything. "I won't....I can't....I REFUSE TO LOSE THIS DUEL! TO MUCH IS RIDING ON IT FOR ME TO LOSE!" Kai was shocked by this sudden outburst of anger, and he certainly didn't know what his opponent was talking about.

"I just can't give up. If I lose this duel, then I've lost my last chance at getting my parents back. My dad died years ago, and then just last year my mother died as well. Then a few people came to me, and gave me an explanation, they gave me a new path to take." His words came through clenched teeth, like he was reliving the moment as he spoke the words. Kai could understand that, and he knew that was exactly what was happening. The same pains that Kevin would have felt at that time were being felt right now.

"They told me about how human beings were all servants of chaos, and that so long as these chaotic natured people continued to rule the planet than innocents like my parents would continue to suffer and die." The crowd was looking shiftily around, feeling uncomfortable to be hearing this rather negative story. Certainly the duel had been a bit odd, but any duel that just happened in the middle of the street was odd. This was....well it just sounded bad.

"They explained everything to me so perfectly. I realized after they told me it all that the death of my parents was merely a message, telling me of what my purpose in life was. It is my purpose to serve the coming Order, to do whatever is needed of me. They had me plant the bomb, and had me start this duel. It's what they wanted. All I have to do to set the world right and make my family happy in death is to defeat every duelist they put in my path and succeed in any other tasks they put before me. You're one of the stepping stones on the way to that Order that can bring back my parents, so you have to die!" The word bomb certainly registered in the minds of the spectators, and they were all bolting as fast as they could, screaming about a bomb.

Dalin roared at them to shut up or risk having someone set it off. The people on the street quieted down, and waited as Kevin continued talking. "Just last night this guy came to me and told me that my first targets had been selected. I'd only have to beat six duelists at the most now. You two were to be my targets. And now....here we are, with just six minutes left and counting. And....well it's your turn."

Kai nodded, and drew a card, quickly activating it. "I understand your feelings Kevin, but if you do manage to win then I'm certain worse things will happen. I intend to win this duel and find the culprits responsible for this and make them pay! To start off I'll play Monster Reborn to revive a Magician of Lost Ways(2000/1600) that I discarded earlier!" The monster that Kai brought back was a powerful looking mage in bright robes that seemed to flow like the stars.

"I've got three magic cards in my cemetery, so Magician of Lost Ways gains three hundred attack points from each of the them, giving it 2900. My two monsters will attack your two monsters!" The blader rushed into battle swinging his sword and the magician launched a magical attack. One of Kevin's set cards flipped up, revealing a strange looking box shape.

"My Guard of Card magic card lets me discard a card to negate your battle damage for this turn, protecting my monsters. The card I've discarded is Hyonzaru, increasing my life points by five hundred and boosting the Buster Blader by a further five hundred attack points." He sent the monster to the cemetery, and Kai declared the end of his turn, knowing that the true end was fast approaching. He had a monster too great to be defeated, and he wouldn't stop until he had success. (KeLP: 5400)

Kevin drew a card, and then shook his head in regret. "I pass." Kai drew his next card and swiftly summoned the Skilled White Magician(1700/1900) to the field in attack mode. It appeared in its white robes and stood next to his three monsters. He looked over at Kevin's two monsters and then back at his own. Attacking directly with the Buster Blader would certainly end the duel in one stroke, but the heat he had felt earlier was very real. If he attacked directly with the power that the Buster Blader had....he might kill Kevin. Then there wouldn't be a body for Kevin's soul to return to.

"I destroy your two monsters and then have Skilled White Magician follow up with a direct attack!" His two stronger monsters used their respective attacks to blast the Twin-Headed Behemoth and the Death Volstargaf into absolute oblivion. Then the remaining magician fired a beam of white light out of its staff, sending it crashing into Kevin and knocking him off his feet. His shirt was smoking from the attack. (KeLP: 4700)

The dragon duelist added another card to his hand, and then instantly activated it. "I feel that soon this duel will come to an end. So I'll speed things up with the Card of Sanctity!" Due to its effect both players swiftly drew cards until they held six cards a piece. Kevin drew a total of five cards while Kai drew six cards, and their decks became lower then they were before. Now the last moments of the duel were approaching.

"I activate my set card, Surge of Power. It allows me to have all power boosts become permanent. Now, I summon Spirit Ryu(1000/1000)!" A sprite dragon was summoned to the field, not looking very fearsome. Its power increased to fifteen hundred, but it was far from matching any of Kai's monsters. However, the Spirit Ryu had a powerful effect, but it wasn't strong enough to aid Ryu. In fact, all it would do was to aid Kai and his Buster Blader.

"Now I play Flight of Dragons! At a cost of two thousand life points I can place every dragon in my cemetery into my hand. So come to me my dragons!" His cemetery ejected all the cards in his graveyard and he searched them all until he held every last one of his dragons, meaning he had just added eleven cards to his hand. He now held fifteen cards total. (KeLP: 2700)

"The effect of Spirit Ryu allows me to discard any number of dragons to increase its attack power for a turn. Surge of Power will make that permanent, and Flight of Dragons gave me all I needed. I discard the eleven dragons I returned plus two more I hold in my hand to increase my Spirit Ryu's attack power by a total of thirteen thousand points!" He dumped almost his entire hand back into the cemetery, allowing the Buster Blader's attack power to shoot back up, one thousand points higher then ever before. Thanks to his continous trap, he gained lots of life points. (KeLP: 9200)

Despite the increase in power for the blader, it was nothing compared to the huge increase that was given to the much smaller dragon. Its power was now fourteen thousand five hundred points, an astounding amount that was more then enough to defeat even the strongest of monsters. "Now I play Heavy Storm to clear the field of any traps you might have!" A gale force wind picked up, ready to destroy Kai's set card.

He grimaced and flipped his card, revealing it to them all. "Activate Soul Spell! I return Skilled White Magician to my hand and then summon Tyko the Magician(1600/1800) in defense mode! His effects lets me force any magicians on the field to change modes in order to increase my hand by one for each that changes modes! So I move my Magician of Lost Ways into defense mode to draw a card!" Kai's newest monster was a magician in blue robes, who instead of holding a staff or a wand held a big book that on the front said: 'Big Book of Names.' Kai's other magician crouched down in defense.

Kevin shook his head, a ferocious gleam in his eyes. "It doesn't matter, I won't accept anything less than victory! This attack is for my family! Spirit Ryu, ANNIHILATE!" Kai didn't see what happened, and neither did anyone else on the outside of the seal. Suddenly the entire inside was filled with a bright light, a light so blinding that none could see through it. Somewhere in that light there was a battle going on.

The light cleared, and it was revealed that the Buster Blader was no more. All that was left on Kai's field were two magicians, both of them in defense mode. Neither would be much defense against the awesome powers of the Spirit Ryu with its now permanent fourteen thousand five hundred attack points. Attack strength that could be increased at any time just be discarding more dragons. "I set up on card and end my turn. I'm sorry Kai, but its over for you. There's no way to recover from this." (KLP: 300)

Kai had a view of his entire hand, so he knew exactly what Kevin didn't. Closing his eyes he drew a card and placed it in his hand. Then, he began his turn in earnest. "I summon Skilled White Magician again. Next I play Magician's Grimoire, sacrificing each of my magicians to place two magic counters apiece on the field. That gives me six floating tokens total." The three magicians vanished in a blaze of light, and replacing them were six glowing lights above where they had previously stood.

"I play Sacrifice and Live, tributing a magic counter to increase my life points by eight hundred." One of the spheres of light shot towards Kai and zipped around his body. Finally it settled into him, filling him with its joyful light and increasing his life points by the stated amount. It was nothing compared to the amount of life points that his opponent had, but it was enough. (KLP: 1100)

"Now I will unleash the ultimate power of my supreme set of monsters. I'll do it with a single magic card that costs one thousand life points to activate. The one thousand life points that I can now afford. The card I play is this: A Breaker Family Reunion!" He slid the card into an activation slot and watched as it appeared in front of him, showing Breaker the Magic Warrior knocking on a door. Peering through the window were several similar looking faces. (KLP: 100)

"According to its effect I'll summon every breaker monster in my hand! Now I summon Breaker the Magic Warrior(1900/1000) the original! Next I summon Monster Breaker(1900/1000)! Lastly I summon Breaker Blader(1900/1000)! Each with the same stats and each with a powerful effect which will bring you to your knees!" The three monsters shimmered into view, and everyone was astonished. Even Dalin had never seen these monsters before, because they were extremely rare.

Breaker the Magical Warrior was in crimson armor with a long sword, pale skin, and a shield with a gem in the center. Monster Breaker was obviously of the same brand for it was completely identical down to every last detail except for one. Its armor was pitch black. Breaker Blader was cut from the same mold, however its armor was a solid gray color, and its blade was longer and more curved. They were not all of his breakers, but they would do the job. "I sacrifice Breaker the Magical Warrior's magic counter to destroy your set card!"

The magician extended his blade and shot a beam of red light at the card, flipping it up. The card was revealed to be a Mirror Force trap card shortly before it was blasted into oblivion. "I remove Monster Breaker's magic counter to destroy one monster on the field, namely your Spirit Ryu!" Monster Breaker slashed once with his sword and blasted the Spirit Ryu into oblivion, clearing the field of anything to stop Kai's onslaught.

"Now, I command each of my monsters to attack directly....as lightly as they can!" The three monsters nodded and approached Kevin, slashing at him. Their blades made such force through the air that they knocked him back into the seal. It wasn't as damaging as a cut would be, but it was enough to show the power behind the strokes. With the three direct attacks Kevin's life points took a turn for the worse. (KeLP: 4100)

"I sacrifice Breaker Blader's counter to activate his special ability, Dual Strike! Every time I remove a counter from him he can attack again. Before I attack I move one of my spare magic counters to him. Then I go on the offensive again!" The other two breakers stepped back and allowed the Breaker Blader to make another powerful cut at Kevin, doing even more damage and dropping the dragon duelist's life points even further. (KeLP: 2200)

"I remove its newest counter and then move another onto it. Now it attacks directly once more!" Another stroke of its blade forced Kevin back, dropping his life points within striking range. Kevin knew he was finished, and he couldn't help but look away before that final blow would land. The crowd look nervous as if they could hear the seconds ticking away. Little did they know that they were right, and only fifteen seconds remained before the bomb would detonate and take out half the block. (KeLP: 300)

"Please forgive me Kevin, Breaker Blader, end it now! I'm sorry!" One last time the blader made his strike, knocking Kevin off his feet and to the ground. The last remaining life points trickled away at what seemed a snail's pace as the time to detonation clicked down. Kevin's life points were completely depleted at last, and the duel was over. Kai had no idea that he had finished his opponent off just seconds before the timer hit zero. (KeLP: 0)

The seal started to close around Kevin, and the dragon duelist struggled against it for the last moments he had left. He looked over to Kai and Dalin and shouted his last words. "I'm sorry father!" With that said, the seal took his soul, and all that made up Kevin Hunter was no more. All that was left was a lifeless shell waiting to be restored to its normal state.

"Congratulations Kai Kaethen. You are a failure. Though you defeat the opponent I set out you were unable to discover your true purpose. Until that moment you're a nothing. If you wish to know more than your books can tell you, I suggest you come to the Tokyo National Airport. Give these two tickets to the person at the front desk and you will be directed to a private jet which will take you to where you need to go. From there you gain another chance at having your questions answered." He tossed a ticket to Dalin and one to Kai, leaving Isis with no way to follow if they did go. Then the man in white swept his robe around Kevin's body, and dissolved into a pile of sand that flowed through the cracks in the cement, vanishing completely.

The people around them relaxed as the two vanished, feeling that the threat to their lives was gone now. Dalin, Kai, and Isis all gave each other meaningful looks, and then started heading back to the museum. Preparations had to be made before they left. There were things that had to be done. With these thoughts in mind they quickly departed the area.

About a block or so away they stopped when a man stepped out in front of them, grinning widely at them. A jagged infinity symbol had been cut into his jaw and onto the backs of his hand. In fact, they seemed to have been cut into his skin everywhere. "Our order will last past the end of time! It is the order of infinity, the last and greatest order of all! THE ONLY ORDER!"

The three stepped back as he raised his hand, holding up a small device that looked like a joystick with a single button. His thumb was right over the button, and it looked ready to press down. Dalin knew instantly what it had to be, and made a reach for it, but there just wasn't enough time. The thumb came down and depressed the button.

Taking the matter into his own hands the muscular duelist grabbed his two companions and pulled them to the ground just as a blast ripped through the air, tearing about ground, buildings, and people with equal uncaring.

When at last it seemed safe to rise, the three duelists did so, and found the scarred man lying on the ground, a road sign half-way through his chest. Looking backwards they saw flames licking the sky, as much of a block burned in the fires created by the explosives set by this cult. There was no telling how many lives had been lost.

"There's no time to spare. If we don't move quickly, I fear more lives will be at risk. We cannot stop even for a moment!" As soon as Dalin was finished speaking his words the three of them took off running, hoping that their speed would aid them in stopping these lunatics before too many more people payed the price required of carrying out the ideals of this supposed Order.

How many more had to die at their hands before everything returned to normal? How many more before they were satisfied? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While all this had been going on, Joey had come to a raging....or rather not to his duel against Mai. At a critical moment he had been taken to the Duel Monsters world where he successfully unleashed the last Legendary Dragon. Using the power of Helmos he combined it with his best available monster to create an equip card. He combined it with the Time Wizard and created....a pink hammer with wings.

Everyone, including Joey, had been shocked, amused, and in Joey's case disappointed in what came of the combination. Joey was determined not to give up though, so he equipped it to his Fiend Megacyber and had it use it. The power of the Time Hammer sent each of Mai's monsters out of play, with numbers on their heads. Each would appear on the field after the next, and no other monsters would be summoned until they had all been brought back.

The duel turned totally in Joey's favor and there was no way Mai would have been able to win. Seeing this Varon, one of the Doom Soldiers, used the power of the strange green stone to shatter the Seal of Orichalcos and end the duel, saving Mai from having her soul taken. Mai and the two Doom Soldiers who had been there, Varon and Raphael, each departed.

It was a good time later, and the gang was approaching the house they had been asked to come to. It was Professor Hawkins' house that they were going to in order to learn a few new things. However, when they got there they found the house in ruins, and little Rebecca came out to them crying about how her grandfather had been taken.

A Message had been left for Yugi, a message that spoke of an obvious trap. For the time being they relaxed, they had to. There was nothing they could do until they figured out a plan of action. And while they did this, other plans were being formulated.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A circle of robed men stood around the hexagram, watching replayed images of Kai's defeat of Kevin. They whispered words amongst each other and then finally one of them spoke. "It would appear that this one is an uncertain. Either he is one who we might be looking for our he is not. Perhaps the messenger we sent was not the right stimuli. For the time being it would be best if we continued as we have. Test the others first."

The images shifted, showing Ryu and Autumn walking down the street, headed towards Domino City Airport. Then it moved to an image of Dalin and Kai "Dispatch two more messengers. One for the large one and the other for the one with Friendship. Continue searching for signs of our others."

The man before them bowed low and then swept away, taking himself from their site. Slowly they each turned back in on the circle and watched the images dance. The images danced just as they made certain figures dance. They who made the world dance. "And of our candidates?"

"Two have been selected and are being made ready as we speak. The third is still a mystery to us. It will take the emergence for them to truly be selected. Keep them at the ready, we may require them at any moment."

"And of this Atlantean Dartz and his soldiers?" There was quiet for several moments as the men considered the question. Finally one spoke up.

"We deal with that situation as we always have. Use what we can of his and ignore it all otherwise. He is as he has always been. Of no consequence." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And there it is, Chapter Four, totally completed with a cool original duel. I especially hope Paul and Edgar enjoyed this chapter as it starred their characters. Yes, that is correct. Kevin Hunter is owned by Edgar, not me. I'm merely borrowing as I did before.

Original Cards By Me

Kai: Effect Break, Tyko the Magician, Magician's Grimoire, Sacrifice and Live, A Breaker Family Reunion, Monster Breaker, Breaker Blader

Kevin: Gift of the Fallen, Liquid Soul, Absolute Negation, Flight of Dragons

Original Cards Not By Me

Kai: Soul Spell, Magician of Lost Ways, Chain To Rivaling Souls, Magician's Ordination, Soul Crosswire, Steadfaster Magician, and Mirage Mage are all property of Time Mage who also owns Kai. 


	6. Deadly Psychic Shocker

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. Now let's do this again and see what comes up. Today's duel will be.... 

Chapter Five: Deadly Psychic Shocker

While events continue in America with a duel between Yami and Raphael, and other such events, more was also happening back in Japan. Specifically, at Domino Airport. Two teens, one in his school uniform with the jacket hanging open and the other in a floral patterned dress, were heading towards a terminal.

"So, these are who have been sent?" Ryu and Autumn blinked and looked to the side to find a tall blonde haired man standing between them and the terminal. He was wearing a blood red outfit that was in the style of a bodysuit, and on his arm was a pitch black duel disk. The two teenagers grimaced, realizing that they should have known it wouldn't be so simple.

Ryu rolled his eyes and stepped out in front of Autumn. "Lemme guess. Since Autumn already dueled someone like you with your weird duel disks, I'm gonna have to duel you. If I win we get to take the private airplane that we were told about but if I lose then....well whatever happens. Am I right?"

The man grinned and activated his dark duel disk, placing a deck in it. Ryu grimaced and activated his own white duel disk and inserted his deck. "Good guess, looks like you're psychic. Oh but wait, that's my strength, the strength of Thomas Evans of Canada. I know everything about you! But don't let one little thing make throw you off your game, because it's really the great power of my Pyschic Shocker Deck that will leave you high and dry!" (ELP: 4000, RLP: 4000)

"Now, I summon The Jade(1500/1300) in attack mode and set two cards face down. End turn!" Two cards appeared in front of him, followed by a machine monster in attack mode. The monster was, as Evans had said, a dark green color. It had a single eye and seemed to be staring straight through Ryu. It was a fearsome looking monster, but it didn't exactly have a lot of power to back that up. And Ryu could see even from this distance that there was too little color on the card for it to be an effect monster.

"I set one card face down, and now I'll summon Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)! But....there's no way even you would leave that weak thing out in attack mode unless you had a trap set, so I'll just end my turn at that." Of course he didn't mention that the only reason he hadn't attacked was because Autumn was shaking her head wildly, motioning for him not to. She was the better duelist, so he'd follow her advice. His dragon was a beautiful looking creature of a pure blue color, and its attack power was nothing to laugh about.

Evans drew a card and then immediately activated his Pot of Greed magic card. He let out a laugh at one of the cards he had drawn and then he placed it onto one of his monster zones. "Since I drew Mecha Warmachine(1350/1500) outside of my draw phase I can special summon it to the field!" The monster he summoned was a hulking behemoth with weapons on every inch of it. Despite that, Ryu wasn't worried. With that kind of attack power there was no worry about anything at all. If all the monsters that Evans summoned were this weak, the duel would be a cake walk.

"I set a monster in defense mode. Now I play Hypnotic Spell, allowing me to reduce the attack power of your monster by eight hundred! Now, Mecha Warmachine will destroy it completely!" Ryu's eyes widened in horror as his dizzy Sapphire Dragon dropped to eleven hundred attack points. Then the machine monster unloaded a barrage of missiles at his dragon, completely destroying it. It was minimal life point damage, but now he had no monsters to defend himself with. (RLP: 3750)

"Now, The Jade will attack you directly and cut your life points in half!" The green machine's single eye started to glow, and then it spewed out a ray of green energy that shot straight towards Ryu. Suddenly the card on Ryu's field flipped up. On it was the image of a zombie-like creature with all sorts of tubes and things coming out of it. Behind the zombie was a fat toothy creature with no eyes holding a controller in its hand.

"Its time to reveal my rarest magic card of all, and one of the rarest cards I possess! Diabolic Servitude! This quick-play magic card allows me to choose a monster in my graveyard and put that monster into play! There's more, but you'll have to wait and see." The Sapphire Dragon appeared on the field again with tendrils coming out of its neck and wings. The Jade rammed right into it, and was obliterated easily. (ELP: 3600)

Evans' turn was over, so now Ryu had a chance to go on the offensive. After all, Evans had a weak monster up in attack mode, so this was his perfect chance. Unfortunately he had already forgotten Autumn's warning. "I set two cards face down, and now I attack Mecha Warmachine!" His dragon flapped its wings and flew straight across the field, bearing down upon the warmachine with intent to destroy it.

"Reveal face down cards! Enemy Controller and Shift Payment! Using Enemy Controller I have to pay one thousand life points to choose whether to sacrifice or destroy your monster. But with Shift Payment I force you to pay for it. Now, say goodbye to Sapphire Dragon!" A game controller appeared on the field and connected itself to Sapphire Dragon. It let out a roar of confusion before it exploded into tiny pieces. Ryu's life points dropped. (RLP: 2750)

"Damn it. Fine, since Sapphire Dragon was destroyed after being revived by Diabolic Servitude its removed from the game. Now Diabolic Servitude returns to my hand for future use. I'll end my turn at that. Don't worry Autumn, I've still got this duel." Autumn quirked an eyebrow but nodded anyways, wanting to show Ryu that she had confidence in him even if she didn't. Evans wasn't as high ranked as she was, but he was certainly of a higher ranking than Ryu.

"I play Soulful Draw! At a cost of one thousand life points I can draw three cards. Now, I flip my face down monster, Jinzo #8(200/800)!" The monster appeared, revealing an android with a face-mask. It was small, but it was packing what looked like a flame thrower on it. "According to the effect of Jinzo #8, the effect of a Jinzo no longer hurts me!" He let out a loud laugh and then selected another card from his hand.

"I set two cards face down, and now I sacrifice Mecha Warmachine to summon Jinzo(2400/1500) to the field!" The bulky machine was quickly replaced by the green robed android with its freaky brain. By the effect of Jinzo, Ryu couldn't use his trap cards at all, putting him in a sticky situation. Now he had no monsters and no way to defend himself at all.

"Jinzo and Jinzo #8 will now attack you directly!" Jinzo #8 sent a jet of flame streaking towards Ryu, heating him up a bit. Jinzo gathered dark energy into its palms and then fired it at Ryu, knocking him backwards. With those combined attacks he was almost completely finished off, leaving him with so few life points that it was just about laughable. (RLP: 150)

"My turn might be over, but you're completely over! Not only do you not stand a chance against a duelist of my caliber, but I've still got several deadly cards waiting in the wings! Come next turn you won't be around at all to enjoy anything! Hahaahahhahahahahahahahahahaha!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in Tokyo Dalin and Kai had finally reached the receptions desk at the Tokyo National Airport, where they had been directed to go. Dalin stood in front of Kai as he was older and would be more likely to be listened to. "Can you tell me the destination that these tickets would take us to?"

The lady receptionist took his took and looked it over, before finally turning to her computer and typing in something. It took several seconds, but finally she seemed to have learned what she wanted to. "The destination is San Francisco Airport. These are very expensive tickets, how did you get them without knowing the destination?"

Dalin took the tickets back and turned away, gesturing for Kai to come with him. After having taken several more steps the large blonde haired man turned back to the woman and gave a response. "They were....a parting gift."

Kai glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye, and decided to ask the question that was on his mind. "Where exactly are we going? We've got tickets to San Franciso, so why not use them?"

"I have a better method, one that will allow us more time to think. While we fly, I want you to continue looking into that book. We need more information." Kai nodded once, and then the two continued walking. However, Kai couldn't help but wondering exactly what Dalin's 'better method' was.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This one is learning too much. Deal with it." The figure in front of him bowed, and then turned and left his presence. The man in brown robes sneered beneath the face cover of his robe and turned to his two companions, one wearing all white with one corner pulled down over his face, and the other in all black.

"When do we get to strike?" The other two, both of whom were taller, chuckled at his eager tone. The white robed one held a deck up in front of him and shook his head in slight amusement.

"I'm eager to strike as well. I want to take action just as much as you do. But we can't take action until the time is right. And besides, from what I've seen these people pose no threat. But still, there is one that might prove to be a threat...." His hand disappeared into his robe with his deck, and he turned away from the brown robed man.

"I'm not eager at all. All of them are pathetic weaklings, even the best of them. Not a single one will pose a challenge to us. Feel threatened all you like by Sumatin, I think he's just as weak as the rest. And soon we'll know for sure." The one in white turned on his companion in black who had just spoken and raised his arm, pointing directly at the black one.

"I'm not threatened by Sumatin! He's mine! He will fall to my power, and that is all there is!" The one in black shrugged, and leaned back against the wall, utterly unfazed by his companion's outburst. The one in brown seemed slightly amused though.

"No need to get angry. For now, we wait. But when the moment comes, we will crush each and every last one of them. I'll take great pleasure in making every last one of them suffer before death comes to claim them. Soon their suffering will be eternal!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryu drew his next card and stared down at it. He glanced at one of the other cards in his hand and then he smirked widely. He took the card he had drawn and slapped it onto his monster zone. "Evans, its time to show you the power of my unique deck. A Dragonic Union Deck! So I summon Emerald Paladin(1300/200)!" His monster shimmered into view, revealing a knight with green trappings on his armor and a shield that seemed to be forged of pure emerald.

"Since I normal summoned him I can now special summon a specific monster from my hand. I bring out Emerald Dragon(2400/2000)!" His next monster came into play, revealing a powerful looking green skinned dragon. It issued forth a harsh roar that shook both Jinzo and Jinzo #8. Of course it wasn't strong enough to get past Jinzo.

"Now I'll use the effect of my Emerald Paladin and union it to Emerald Dragon, increasing my dragon's attack by three hundred and granting it a trample effect! Merge yourselves together my monsters!" Evans gasped as the armored warrior jumped straight into the air and landed on the back of the Emerald Dragon, a chain appearing in its hands and wrapping around the dragon's neck. The power of Emerald Dragon rose and it let out yet another roar.

"Emerald Dragon Paladin, vaporize Jinzo #8 with your Emerald Flame Breath!" The dragon opened its jaws wide and launched an attack that was a wave of green energy. It streaked straight towards the smaller android, going right at it to completely vaporize it. But what Ryu had forgotten was the power of that little monster, that invalidated Jinzo's effect on Evans' field.

"Go permanent trap card, Psycho Shocker Screen! I can discard a card to prevent damage when a monster with Jinzo in its name is attacked. Jinzo #8 remains!" The wave of green energy simply washed over the android like it had been coated with extremely slippery wax, making the energy slide right over it. No damage was dealt and the little android remained on the field to have its effect remain in place. All was well.

"I'll end my turn after playing one permanent magic card. Despondency! During each of your standby phases your monsters will lose two hundred attack and defense points. That's all for now." His permanent card appeared to the right and behind his Emerald Dragon Paladin which was standing strong and ready to do battle. Whatever Evans tried to do, he'd be ready. After all, he had become a strong duelist in his own right.

Evans drew a card and watched as his monsters dropped in attack points. Now Jinzo was only at twenty-two hundred and the other android had zero attack power. But he was about to change that. He moved the little android into defense and then took the card he had just drawn. "I know you'll recognize this card. So here it goes, Seal of Orichalcos!" The seal formed around them, and the true duel was about to begin as his monsters gained attack points.

"Now I summon Jinzo #3(500/900)! And it gains three hundred attack points for every magic and trap card on the field, boosting it by fifteen hundred!" Another android, this one in red and green like a smaller version of the regular Jinzo, was summoned to the field. Its attack power rose not only from the seal but also from its effect, sending it to a total of twenty-five hundred attack points. But he wasn't ready to attack quite yet, thanks to that stupid Emerald Paladin.

"I won't be attacking quite yet since I'd have to kill my Jinzo to get past your Emerald Dragon Paladin. Then you'd just be able to use traps again. So I'll end my turn without attacking." Ryu nodded once and drew another cad, giving him two cards in his hand. There wasn't much of a play he could make with the cards he had, but he knew he had to at least make the effort even if it would fail.

"Emerald Dragon Paladin attacks your number eight!" A stream of the green flame streaked out towards the android, but it just slid right off like it had all the other times. However it had done its job because now Evans had no more cards in his hand to discard. Next turn Ryu just might be able to get past that stupid screen card. "End turn!"

As soon as the supposedly psychic duelist drew a card his monsters lost even more attack and defense points. Now Jinzo had twenty-five hundred attack and eleven hundred defense points, while his other monsters were even weaker. Evans glanced at his newest card and then grimaced as he played it. "I sacrifice number three for Jinzo #4(2100/1200)! Then I end my turn." Without anything else to do all that was left was the bigger version of number three to take its place on the field with a power boost.

"Now that it's my turn I'm gonna show you what for. I summon Volstargaf Rider(1700/1400) and use its effect. By discarding a card from my hand I can summon a Death Volstargaf(2200/1700) from my hand to the field!" The earthen dragon roared as it took its place next to Emerald Dragon Paladin and the Volstargaf Rider, a warrior in pitch black armor with a chain wrapped around one arm and a sword at its hip.

"I union it to my Death Volstargaf, increasing its attack by four hundred and increasing its effect damage by three hundred! Join together my monsters!" Like Emerald Paladin before him the Volstargaf Rider jumped onto the back of Death Volstargaf and then slung the chain around it's neck, giving it control. The dragon's attack bumped up to twenty-six hundred, making it only slightly weaker then the boosted Emerald Dragon Paladin. Now Ryu had two dragon's and their riders, each with a great amount of attack power.

"I have Emerald Dragon Paladin and Death Volstargaf attack Jinzo #8 and Jinzo respectively! Blast them into oblivion!" The two dragons launched their attacks and the two named androids were consumed by them. Evans' life points began to trickle downwards, going to be dropped towards zero. The attack of Emerald Dragon Paladin dipped Evans' life points to three hundred, and then Jinzo's demise finished off another one hundred points. Then the effect of Death Volstargaf went off to deal eight hundred damage to Evans' life points.

"I won't die like that, activate Damage Redux! It lets me gain life points from any type of direct damage! So instead of losing eight hundred life points I gain eight hundred, setting me at one thousand!" Ryu shrugged and declared the end of his turn, knowing that with such a great advantage it wouldn't take long for him to win this duel. Not a problem at all, no way whatsoever. (ELP: 1000)

Evans ejected his deck and flipped through it, finally coming across the card he wanted. He put it in his hand and then smirked as he started to explain. "Using the effect of Jinzo #4 I can skip my draw phase to put a card with 'Jinzo' in its name into my hand. So I've selected my card, and now I'll summon Jinzo #7(500/400)! And with its ability to attack directly I've got the duel in the bag. Jinzo #7, annihilate the last of his life points!" The one thousand attacks strength monster shot a beam of energy from its mask straight at Ryu in order to finish off the last of his one hundred and fifty life points.

"Not quite! The card I sent to the cemetery last turn was Super Electric Turtle(0/1800) and I'll use its effect to halt your attack and keep me safe!" He displayed the monster from his cemetery and Evans cursed as its magnetic energy shoved his monster backwards, keeping it from finishing Ryu off. Since Evans had no more cards in his hand the duelist was unable to continue and had to end his turn.

Ryu added another card to his hand, his hand of zero that was, and then quickly slipped it into the appropriate slot. "I set one card face down. Now my two monsters will attack your two monsters and end this duel once and for all!" The two dragons launched their respective attacks right at the two androids. However, moments before the attacks struck the two androids exploded. With nothing there to receive the attacks the two beams of energy flew right past Evans and exploded against the edge of the seal.

"The final effect of Psycho Shocker Screen lets me sacrifice my Jinzos to negate your attacks. Its unfortunate, but it certainly saved me from losing this duel. You done then?" Ryu gave his assent and the duelist gave himself another card. He laughed at the sight of it and then activated its power. Ryu recognized the image that appeared, but he couldn't remember the card's effect. He'd just have to wait and find out.

"Cost of Greed lets me remove monsters from the cemetery to draw a card for each I remove....up to four monsters total. I remove eight, three, and four from the game in order to draw three more cards!" He took the named monsters from his cemetery and placed them into his pocket. Then he put his hand on his deck and drew until he held three cards in his hand, giving him more options to work with. He looked over his hand for several seconds to decide on what he was going to do. Unfortunately for him, since he had no jinzos on the field, Psycho Shocker Screen was no more.

"I set one card face down. Then I play Soul Taker, which increases your life points by one thousand but then lets me use one of your monsters as a sacrifice. The monster I'll summon is a level eight monster, but since your Emerald Dragon Paladin is a union, it counts as two monsters. So say goodbye to it and say hello to Jinzo #6(2800/2000)!" The dragon vanished into the air and then in its place came Emerald Paladin in defense mode thanks to the effect of all his special union monsters. (RLP: 1150)

"Jinzo #6 will blast Death Volstargaf into the stone age!" The attack connected, blasting Death Volstargaf straight to hell. Unfortunately thanks to the effect of the dragon it gained four hundred more attack points from the two magic cards that Evans had played, magic damage rather minimal. He would have been better off sacrificing it and then destroying Emerald Dragon Paladin. Volstargaf Rider returned to the field in defense mode. (RLP: 850)

"Since Jinzo #6 dealt damage to your life points I can choose one type of card in your deck and then you have to send one of that type to your cemetery. So I choose trap and you can say goodbye to another!" Ryu ejected his deck and then quickly picked the trap he wanted, then shuffled his deck and replaced it where it should be. Finally he shoved the trap card into his cemetery slot where it would stay for the rest of the duel. "Now its your turn Ryu!"

"Activate face down card, Diabolic Servitude! I use its effect o summon Death Volstargaf from my cemetery, and then I union it together with Volstragaf Rider once again!" Using the effect of his quick-play magic card he raised the might dragon, know with control slots along its body, and the warrior leapt onto its back again, sending its attack power jumping up to twenty-six hundred. However it was seven hundred attack points weaker then Evans' monster was.

"The card I've drawn will shift the tide to me, so I play Conviction! This effect with boost the attack strength of an earth type monster by five hundred, raising my Death Volstargaf to thirty-one hundred attack points!" The numbers for the card jumped up, coming nearly even with the stronger android. However there was still a difference in attack strength that couldn't be overcome so easily. Evans smirked, knowing his opponent just wanted to wait until the next turn when his own monster would lose two hundred attack, he'd be waiting.

"Have you forgotten Death Vosltargaf's first effect already? Because I played Conviction it gains two hundred attack points, making it even with your Jinzo #6! Since you've only got one monster and one thousand life points left, all I've got to do is attack with my Death Volstargaf and then you're finished! So burn that android my dragon!" The earth dragon opened its fanged mouth and Evans cringed as saliva dripped to the ground. Energy formed between those teeth and then was hurled straight at the duelist's monster.

"No, my monster won't die so easily! Open trap card! Psycho Shocker Cannon! Its effect will destroy your attacking monster!" The trap card flipped up, and as soon as it did a massive energy weapon materialized on Jinzo #6's arm. The machine monster aimed the cannon at the dragon, bracing with its other arm, and then fired. A wave of purple energy rushed out from the end and overtook Death Vosltargaf's attack. The attack was canceled out and the beam traveled onwards until it crashed into Death Volstargaf, destroying it completely.

"Now Psycho Shocker Cannon's two other effects come into play. Since its effect went unhindered I can destroy one card on your field, and I choose to destroy Despondency! The other effect allows me to inflict five hundred points of damage to your life points, so say goodbye to more than half of what you've got left!" A little bit of the energy continued past the remains of the dragon and towards Ryu. The older duelist raised his Millennium Gauntlet and used the invulnerable surface to deflect the attack. It was still quite powerful though, so he was shoved against the seal. (RLP: 350)

"Very well, since Death Volstargaf was destroyed I return Volstargaf Rider to the field in defense mode. I also add my dragon to my removed cards pile that is steadily growing. With nothing else to do, my turn ends." The warrior jumped away from the remains of the dragon it had been riding and landed in a crouch, its shield held up in front of its body. It was just a temporary defense, one that Evans could eliminate quite easily.

Thomas Evans drew a card and swiftly inserted it into one of his magic/trap zones. With that little bit out of the way, he now had the opportunity to eliminate a pesky threat to him. That was Ryu. "Jinzo #6, roast his Emerald Paladin!" The cannon remained equipped to it, but it no longer gave an effect. Now the android simply used the huge weapon to fire a beam of plasma at the green wearing armored warrior. He would stand no chance against it.

"Go, Command Silencer! This card negates your attack and allows me to draw one card!" Evans sneered as his opponent drew a card, giving him a total of two cards in his hand, counting the Diabolic Servitude that had returned to his hand. Evans shook his head in disgust and, since he had no other cards and no more monsters, ended his turn. He'd get Ryu sooner or later, he would just have to wait for the time being.

Ryu's hand now consisted of three cards. Not all of them were necessarily useful to him at all, so he'd have to play it safe. He couldn't take Evans' monster on in a head-to-head battle since it was too strong, but he could defend himself quite well for at least a long enough time to find a way out of the situation. "I place one card down on the field and use Diabolic Servitude to raise Emerald Dragon in defense mode. Next I set a monster and end my turn!" The three named cards appeared, completing what he had on the field.

His opponent grabbed his top card and then quickly activated it, showing a picture of a Jinzo, only the Jinzo was hanging upside down. In fact, the entire picture part was upside down, with the name upside down at the bottom of the border. What kind of card was that? "I play this permanent magic card, Psycho Shocker Reimager! So long as I have an android on the field I can play with my deck face-up, and you can't look at it. So from now on I know what I've got coming!" He laughed and ejected his deck, then casually flipped it up, then placed it back into the deck slot.

Whatever he saw there made his face light up, and it made Ryu worried. He'd just have to hope it wasn't a monster destruction card, or something to force him to discard his Diabolic Servitude. That would end his defenses really quickly. "Jinzo #6, trash his Emerald Dragon!" A single beam tore the dragon apart, leaving it to go into Ryu's pocket with the rest of his removed cards. Sheesh, he was gonna run out of pocket room at this rate.

The former gang member glanced at his newest card and grimaced as if it were the worst card he had ever seen. Evans laughed at the disgusted look on his opponent's face. "I play Diabolic Servitude to revive Super Electric Turtle in defense mode. End turn!" The large turtle with the red letters across its chest appeared next to his three other monsters, one of which was face-down. Four monsters to defend himself with and the opponent only had one monster to take them out with.

"Go Monster Reborn, bring back Jinzo!" Evans' laughter and the appearance of the deadly android froze Ryu's insides. His face-down card wouldn't help him at all, so he'd have to just keep playing defense and keep hoping. But with the trap destroyer and its now stronger counterpart on the field, there was little that Ryu could do to stop his opponent from ripping through his monsters and to his life points.

"I attack Super Electric Turtle and Volstargaf Rider!" The two named monsters were destroyed by two dark energy attacks. The turtle went into Ryu's pocket and the rider into his cemetery slot, but because the turtle had been removed he couldn't use its effect on his opponent. Now all that was left on his field was a set monster and his Emerald Paladin. Not much to work with really.

The eighteen year old's newest card was an effective card for some of the card effects he ran in this deck. Particularly one of the combos he was running just recently. Unfortunately he didn't meet one of the requirements for activating the card, so he'd have to wait and see. It would help him once the time came of course. "I set one card face down, then I play Diabolic Servitude to bring back my Volstargaf Rider." The warrior took its place on the field, a blank look on its face as it stayed in defense. Three monsters on the field now.

The Jinzo duelist laughed as he drew his next card. Since he knew what each of his next cards would be, that gave him at least a slight advantage over Ryu. Ryu, being the observant person that he was, noticed the look of surprise and glee on his opponent's face at the sight of his next card. Whatever it was, it wouldn't bode well for Ryu, that was for sure. "I summon Jinzo #5(1800/1000)!" The next android was in purple and green, clashing colors, but its power hit a total of twenty-three hundred and that made it something to worry about.

"I have my three monsters attack and destroy your three monsters!" The three androids opened fire with their three differing attacks. A wave of plasma blew his Emerald Paladin straight to Hell. A beam of dark energy shattered his Volstargaf Rider into holographic pieces. A barrage of micro-missiles turned his set monster into a pile of dust. That left Ryu essentially completely defenseless.

"You destroyed my set Troop Dragon, so now I special summon another one from my deck in defense mode!" His new monster appeared crouching in defense. It was a humanoid dragon carrying a sword and a shield, and it was preparing itself for any sort of attack. The attack and defense on the thing weren't much, but it was the effect that helped. You could keep up a defense with them really easily, and they made great fodder for sacrifices.

With the opponent's turn now over and five monsters in his pocket as his removed pile, he was ready to keep on the defense. But he hated playing defense....he wanted to show his strength to Evans and to Autumn, to prove that he wasn't a weak duelist. But he couldn't....because he was just a weak duelist. "I play Diabolic Servitude on Emerald Paladin. Next I use my face down magic card, Miracle Dig. I can only activate it if I've got five or more monsters removed from the game. Then I can take three and put them in my grave."

He pulled the five monsters free from his graveyard and then looked them over. Which three should he take. His normal attitude told him to take the strongest of them and put them in the graveyard in case he needed to go on the offensive. But there were his two strongest, and then three others. So what should be his third monster? Shrugging he randomly selected one of the three other monsters and put it with the two chosen ones. "I select these three monsters and place them into my cemetery!" He shoved them into his cemetery slot and then returned his two other monsters back to his pocket. "End turn!"

Suddenly Evans let out a deep belly laugh. "Now its time I showed you the ultimate power of this deck, provided to me by my new masters! The great strength allowed to me will keep me winning and keep me in luxury and out of this tainted world! So here it is, my ultimate beast! I offer up my three monsters in order to summon it!" He took the three monsters up off his field and then shoved them into his cemetery before slapping the next card onto his middle most monster zone.

"This monster requires the sacrifice of three monsters with Jinzo in their name. And its effect is that it prevents the activation or effects of magic and trap cards so long as its in play! So come on out, Jinzo Omega(2700/1000)!" The new Jinzo monster was jet black with the Omega symbol painted onto its chest in blood red. Fearsome eyes stared out from under its cybernetic mask, and a dark aura surrounded it and Espa upon the play. With dark power it was at thirty-two hundred attack strength.

"Go face down card, Omega Amplifier! This card equips to Jinzo Omega and prevents its effect from blanketing my side of the field! Now Jinzo Omega, use your second effect and attack all his monsters on the field!" Ryu's eyes widened as the android opened his palms wide and unleashed a flurry of dark energy blasts, cutting through his Emerald Paladin and then his Troop Dragon. Unfortunately for him, he only had two Troop Dragons in his deck. It wasn't a matter of not planning, it was a matter of he'd only found two for his deck so far. Now he was utterly defenseless.

"How pathetic! You truly are a weak duelist Ryu, and a weak person in general. I know about you, relying on your physical strength to get what you want! But that's not true strength at all now is it? I bet that's how you got into the Battle City Finals, you probably beat up people and stole their locator cards. You disgust me you coward!" Ryu's eyes widened at these words, and his mind flew back in time, propelled by the magic of his gauntlet. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Ryu had just finished dispatching a Rare Hunter, and he had just been about to get an answer out of the remaining hunter. The man's words were cut off as a two toned voice replaced the original one, "Ryu Shigeru...you would have made a great Rare Hunter. You can kill without feeling, take without guilt. How about joining us?"_

_"Why do you think that? And, by the way, there's no way, I'll join you bastards", said Ryu._

_"You killed one of my men...and smiled when you were done. I think that maybe you enjoyed it," Ryu didn't reply, whoever this man speaking through the Rare Hunter was, the truth was that he was right. He had enjoyed the killing, had enjoyed the battle, enjoyed the thought of his own power over another person's life. The thrill of the hunt, thrill of the kill. He was nothing but an animal._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Evans' words hit home in the same way as Malik's had, and he looked away. It was all true. "You're right Evans....not about how I got into the finals.....but about me. I've got no real strength, I'm just an animal who uses his physical prowess to hurt others....to show my dominance. I'm a nothing, a nobody."

"Don't ever say that!" Evans and Ryu both shot a glance over at the speaker. Autumn stood outside of the seal with her fists clenched, her jaw set tight as she spoke her words with vehemence. Ryu could do nothing but stare, shocked at how sincere she sounded as she said those words. But....but why?

"You're a good person. Things that happened in the past don't determine who you are now...not unless you let them. I know you're a person with true strength because I've been with you and felt that strength. It's a strength of character, of soul....not of body. There are people stronger than you out there, but you still win. Not because of physical prowess, but because of the strength of your heart!" Ryu stared at her, unable to speak for several moments. Then slowly his featureless face slipped into a small smile that he saved just for her.

"Yeah.....you're right. I'd never have believed it out of anybody's mouth but yours....but to hear you say it....then I know it's true. But any strength, any courage I have comes from the people around me that are like you. So I won't disappoint any of them, not you, not Hinata, nobody! Evans, this duel is far from over, and now its my turn! So I draw!" He pulled free the card, and his body was wrapped in a burning red aura....a glowing light that filled him with the feeling of strength.

His eyes came to rest on the card he had drawn, and he felt a surge of shock. The card....it was like.....it was impossible! He looked back at Autumn to find her holding up her deck which was glowing white. She took a card out of it, revealing what card was glowing. "That strength of yours Ryu....show it to us all."

He nodded and held the card aloft, activating the power held within. Instinctively he knew how to work it. "I play Heart of Courage!" The explosion of red power was enough to show Evans that he was dealing with a power that he couldn't understand. The card Ryu played had a red background and the image was completely blank except for the Japanese symbol for courage. The red aura flickered about him as that red symbol formed itself on his forehead.

"Using the power of this card I can now special summon two monsters, one from my deck and one from my cemetery! That's not all the power it has, but that's all the power that I need! So first I summon one of the three monsters I placed back in my cemetery using Miracle Dig. Come out, Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)!" The blue dragon let out a roar as it rose up on the field, its power surging as the same red symbol that was on Ryu's head appeared on its head. Now he had a strong monster on the field.

"There's more to it than that, so watch and learn my power. Come forth Sapphire God Soldier(2800/2000) and fill the field with your awesome powers!" In a blaze of red light Ryu's newest monster took the field. It was a tall warrior dressed in simple blue armor, though at its side it held a sword that seemed to be forged from the night sky. The shield attached to its left arm was also of the same material.

"As my other monsters before them, I shall union Sapphire God Soldier and Sapphire Dragon together in order to create....Sapphire God Dragoon!" The two monsters merged together as if the fusion card had been played, swirling into a shimmering vortex. When they emerged as one, the Sapphire God Soldier now had sweeping blue wings and a helmet that looked like it had once been the head of the Sapphire Dragon.

"Sapphire God Dragoon has an attack and defense power equal to my two monster's combined strengths, so it is just enough to end this! Sapphire God Dragoon(4700/3600), use your Blade of Gods to end the duel!" The soldier raised its blade and made a sweeping motion. That single slash shattered Jinzo Omega into fragments. The blast continued on to Evans, knocking him up into the air and ripping his outfit slightly apart. (ELP: 0)

The duel was over, and Ryu had come out of it victorious. But was it worth it? Now another man was without his soul....and for what? Who the hell would make them do all this except....no....it couldn't be could it? Only one person was this sick, but he was out of the way wasn't he? "It couldn't be Taichi could it?"

"How ignorant of you. This power that you are fearing is nothing like what you've experience before. It's a power of the mind, body, and soul. A power of absolute conviction that the dark spirit you faced didn't possess. He was insane and disgusting, and despite his lack of humanity he was in truth the most disgusting example of human kind I've ever seen." Walking up behind them was a man dressed just as the brown robed man had been, only he was wearing all black and was much taller.

"You and your buddy sure are arrogant, just like Tobaroshi was. Obviously this guy wasn't as much of a convert as you might have thought, as he wasn't preaching to us. But either way, it pisses me off that you're just using people to test us! So let's do this. I challenge you to a duel!" He reactivated his duel disk, ready to start up at any time. The man in the black robes quirked an eyebrow at him, and then chuckled darkly.

"Dueling you would be no challenge, nor would dueling the two of you together. No, I'm not here to bother with small frys like you. I'm here to collect this shell. And to deliver this to you." He sent a card spinning through the air, which Ryu snatched with one hand. He glared at the man in black and then brought the card level to his eyes. What he saw hit him like a ton of bricks. It was a magic card with a pentagram on it, with Hinata's terrified face staring up at him.

"She was truly pathetic. She didn't even last three turns against our sending, and he was one of the weaker ones. A pity she was so weak, I think she could have made a good convert to the True Path. I leave that card as a message of the fate that may befall you. Sooner or later you'll either end up like that, or become one of us. It's all a matter of inevitability." His body seemed to evaporate into a puff of black smoke which drifted away in the wind and was quickly gone. There was nothing left for them to do but continue onwards.

Ryu clenched his gauntleted fist tightly and titled his head back. "Whoever you are, I'm coming after you! I'll rip your arms off with my bare hands and beat you to death with them! Just know that! Every last one of you fuckers is dead! DEAD!" He continued to rant and rave to the sky, not knowing that he was actually being heard. It was just a matter of getting out his anger, or exploding if he didn't. Yet another soul that suffered because of these religious freaks. And still, there was no explanation as to why.

That was the question he kept asking himself. Why? Why us? Why now? Why is this happening? Why? Why? Why? Why? Perhaps if he had an inkling of the answers he wouldn't have asked, even to himself. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in Tokyo one Isis Ishtar was busy pouring over the available ancient texts both physical and digital that she could get her hands, or browser, onto. Dalin had asked to her to stay behind and do research on anything pertaining to Orichalcos or any ancient legends that might point towards why Kevin had ended up having to duel against Kai in such a manner and whatever more she could learn about this strange Order.

She sighed as she leaned back up against her chair. Despite the big man's words, she knew that there was extra meaning behind them. Dalin might not be that expressive about certain things, but over their few months of acquaintance she had come to know him quite well. That was how she knew his real reason for having her stay was that he knew whoever these people were, they were after him and Kai, and not her. He was trying to protect her.

"How utterly chauvinistic. At least it would be if he meant it that way. That man simply confounds me." She sighed and returned to her texts, wishing she had the Book of Fallen Stars, which she had loaned out to Kai in order for the duelist to do some research on it. He wasn't an expert in Latin, but he was good enough at it to understand what he was reading. Things were moving too fast, there just wasn't enough time to react.

She looked up at the sudden sound of someone entering the room, but relaxed immediately at the sight of a familiar face. She had called Rishid around the same time she had called Dalin, however he had a longer way to come. Now that he was here, she felt a bit more easy. "Thank you for coming Rishid."

"We cannot speak yet, someone else wants to talk to you." The tall bronze skinned man stepped aside in order to allow another person to enter the room. It was the skinny man from the front desk. He had always seemed to be a nice man, but he had always been rather nervous. He still looked that way now.

"Yes, how can I help you?" The man blinked and bowed once, then reached into his pocket and started fumbling with something, his hands shaking as he did so. She looked on with confusion as he did so, and idly wondered what he wanted to show her.

"I respectfully request for you to die." Her eyes widened in shock as he pulled a small gun, barely the size of his hand, out of his pocket and aimed it at her. Then there was a bang.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The circle of robed men stood in front of the image of Ryu and Autumn departing on the private plane. Then the image shifted to one of Dalin and Kai in a bi-plane flying over the ocean. Finally it shifted to a view of Yami and Tea screaming as their train went over a cliff. At the other end of the cliff was a figure, small from the distance, watching the train go down.

"Inform the standby messenger that he is unnecessary. Then inform him what happens to things that are unnecessary. Inform our awaiting messenger that the prey is entering their area."

"Friendship and Courage have been revealed. Two targets await to be tested. Inform that useless messenger that he may still be necessary to retest Kaethen. Our time is running low." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Yeah, just another duel to reveal another Heart card. It'll get better, because the major critical stuff hasn't even come yet.

Time Mage: You'll see the answers to your questions about Drake, the robed guys, and the reason for the revealing of the Hearts soon enough. (INSERT EVIL LAUGHTER HERE)

Wolf General: How come Kai scares you? As for the Hearts of Man, just wait and see more. Literally.

Void Templar: Drake's deck doesn't contain a single non-spellcaster monster. What's strange about it? Oh, and wait for Taichi and you'll see. Hmm...that rhymes.

Original Cards

Evans: The Jade, Mecha Warmachine, Shift Payment, Soulful Draw, Jinzo #8, Psycho Shocker Screen(because of Jinzo's japanese name), Jinzo #3, Jinzo #4, Damage Redux, Jinzo #6, Psycho Shocker Cannon, Psycho Shocker Reimager, Jinzo #5, Jinzo Omega, Omega Amplifier

Ryu: Diabolic Servitude(actually a card in Magic: The Gathering with the same effect), Despondency, Emerald Paladin, Volstargaf Rider, Heart of Strength, Sapphire God Soldier

Original Submitted Cards

Evans: Cost of Greed(by Time Mage, not actually submitted but he used it in one of his duels and I chose to use it as well)


	7. Sealed By Darkness

Author's Note: Take note, this is the first time in this story that I will be eliminating a duel that existed in the Doom Arc entirely. The others happened, but this one I'm getting rid of. So far I haven't done anythong of the sort since I like some of the things that happen in the Doom Arc too much to twist it. Besides, there's no reason for it. Anyways, here we go. 

Chapter Six: Sealed By Darkness

Ryu and Autumn stepped off the plane and looked around. They weren't exactly sure what they were looking for, but it had to be something important. Otherwise they wouldn't have been told to come here. That was of course unless..... "Say Ryu, you don't think this is a trap do you?"

"Of course it's a trap. But the fact that we know it's a trap means we've got the advantage. We can get the jump on our would-be jumpers. See? Perfect logic." Despite Autumn's affection for the older teen, at that current moment she happened to believe he was an idiot. What kind of crappy logic was that when he deliberately led them into a trap?

"Ah, that's what we're looking for!" Ryu's gaze had fallen on a limo, and the man standing in front of it holding up a sign. It said Strength and Friendship. They shot each other glances and then shrugged, walking up to the limo. The man nodded politely to them and then opened the door, letting them get in.

"When's the part where we get the jump on our would-be jumpers?" Ryu shrugged as the door was shut behind them, and the driver got into the driver's seat. The sound of the engine coming to life was all they needed to tell them that they were getting moving. Now they'd just have to figure out exactly when to make their move.

"I say for now we enjoy the drive and enjoy the fact that it's a limo. See, wine!" Autumn's left eye twitched at the sight of her boyfriend holding up a bottle of what looked like extremely expensive champagne. It didn't matter that he was seventeen and she was fifteen, he just happened to think it was cool that there was wine there. In fact, he was now fiddling with other things in the limo.

"Look at this! They've got a portable telephone, just like what you see in the movies!" Autumn's left eye continued to twitch, and she felt the slight pressure from her right eye that said it wanted to twitch as well. As crazy as the situation was, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the odd display of child-like joy at such simple things.

"And a TV!"  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In much the same way that Ryu and Autumn had departed their plane, Kai and Dalin were also exiting their plane. Only theirs was a bi-plane and it was stopped in a port near San Francisco. The other big difference was that there was no limo waiting for them. "Dalin, they did offer us a private plane and someone to meet us when we landed."

"But it was a trap." The two stepped out of the plane and onto the dock. Kai was dressed in loose brown pants that were brushed about by the wind, a white t-shirt, and oddly enough for him....a Hawaiian t-shirt. He had a bag in one hand with the rest of his clothes in it, and a duel disk in the bag as well.

"Yeah, but since we knew it was a trap we could have gotten the jump on our would-be jumpers." Dalin stopped suddenly at these words, turning to gaze back at the younger duelist. Dalin was dressed in tan cargo pants and wearing a blue sleeveless shirt with a red over-shirt....well over it. His eyes narrowed as if in confusion.

"That's just bad logic. We're in the general area they wanted us to be, so we'll do searching on our own. Don't worry, if we don't find any sign of them, they'll find us. But we won't be at the disadvantage that we would have been had we taken their offer." Kai shrugged, accepting the validity of his companion's answer. Of course, he had also been thinking about the fact that since someone would have been their to meet them, they could have tried to get answers out of whoever it was.

"Do you think they would have had a limo for us?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joey and Tristan were following the train tracks. Joey was carrying the slumped form of the defeated Rex Raptor over his shoulder, and doing so in this heat was really starting to get to him. He and Tristan had set a limit to the number of steps they would make before they played a game of rock-paper-scissor to decide who carried next. "Damn it all!"

Despite his usual luck, Joey had lost the game. That meant he was stuck carrying Rex even further. Idly he wondered about Yami and Tea. Those two were probably kicking back in the train, enjoying the air conditioning and the drinks that were available onboard. Sitting in the lap of luxury while he and Tristan, mostly him, were trudging through miles of nothing.

"Boy could I go for some luxury right now. Wish we still had that limo with the wine. Oh! And that telephone! Can't forget the TV!" Tristan shot a look over his shoulder at his mumbling companion and then shook his head. Better to ignore it then make any response. When Joey was annoyed he tended to mumble as much as he did while he was asleep. At least in this case he wasn't talking about donuts.

"Damn I wish I had some donuts."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Yami and Tea had awoken they had oddly enough been greeted by a dog that looked much like a wolf. It had jumped on Tea and started licking her. The people who had been taking care of them were an old man and his young daughter....or maybe granddaughter. Yami wasn't quite clear on that.

"You miss him right? Well there's a special valley not too far away where you can get the chance to meet him once more for the time being. It helps you see things within your soul." The old man's words were as such. He had spoken of a place where Yami could go to meet with Little Yugi and maybe talk to him for a little bit. Yami had decided to take him up on the offer, so they were being lead to the place.

What they found, after perilous adventures over narrow ridges and sheer drops, was a circle of stones arranged in an unusual pattern. Only Yami had been allowed to pass, and he continued onwards towards the center, watching as images of all the foes he had faced shifted about around him. Suddenly the lights coalesced and took shape right in front of him.

"Yugi...."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

What had transpired had hardly instilled that much of a greater amount of confidence in the former Pharaoh. Yugi had taken shape and had challenged him to a duel, giving his own reasons for it. The duel had started with the two of them having a completely identical hand, until Yugi used the Card Destruction magic card to force them to discard and draw new cards.

Upon doing so Yugi had used the Seal of Orichalcos, explaining that if darkness was a part of Yami and if Yami was just a reflection of him, then it would make sense for him to have the Seal in his deck. Despite not wanting to, Yami had dueled against the young boy and bested him even after Yugi started to use the same technique with Catapult Turtle that Yami had used against Raphael.

Speaking of Raphael.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The large man had tried to enter the valley in order to challenge the Nameless Pharaoh once again. He had discovered upon returning to the temple that he had somehow accidently taken Little Yugi's soul instead of the Pharaoh's. Since his target was the Pharaoh he had been sent after him in order to gain it.

Unfortunately he had discovered that he was unable to enter that ring of strange rocks. He couldn't even come close to it because some strange force was repelling him, keeping him from entering. He picked up his phone and placed a call. "Lord Dartz, I am unable to enter the circle of rocks to challenge the Nameless Pharaoh. Something is keeping me from doing so."

"It is a simplistic barrier that draws on the souls and feelings of specific people that it chooses to. It knows your intentions and therefore won't allow you to enter. Don't worry, it has been taken care of." With that said the Atlantean hung the phone up, forcing Raphael to tuck it away. He pulled himself back up to a decent position to watch what might transpire and waited for whatever it was to happen.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yami's eyes widened as he heard a very distinctive sound. It was the sound of a motorcycle. His gaze traveled upwards as something shot out from a cliff edge and right above him. The thing shot right over him and came to a harsh landing several feet away. It traveled for a few more moments before turning into a halt.

It was a jet black Kawazaki motorcycle, and its rider was just now stepping off of it, facing away from Yami. The rider's helmet was still on, so he couldn't tell who it was. The person wore blue jeans and black boots, along with a sleeveless leather trench coat. The strangest thing about the trench coat was that the back was mostly covered by a large Yin-Yang.

The rider turned and unclipped his helmet. Now that he was turned around Yami saw that the man was wearing a blue t-shirt with silver flames up the sides converging onto one point. That one point was the kanji for 'alive' and it was dead center. The rider let the helmet drop to the ground and grinned at the surprise on Yami's face. "Yo!"

"Drake? But how did you get here?" The older boy merely jerked a thumb back at his bike as if it explained everything. But then again, it explained nothing at all. It particularly didn't explain the one thing Yami hadn't noticed until this very moment. It was the very noticeable duel disk on Drake's arm. The duel disk that Gurimo had worn. The duel disk that Mai had worn. The duel disk that Raphael had worn. The duel disk that Weevil had worn. All of whom worked for Doom.

"You! You're working for Doom aren't you? Damn you, what the hell were your thirty pieces of silver?!" Yami never saw it coming. The blow that sent him to the ground was more painful than the one Joey had given him to try and snap him out of his funk, because this one was fueled by more than just concern and a little bit of anger. Drake hadn't liked that comment.

"Shut up Yami. None of this is about me anymore than it is about you. Besides, it's just one duel isn't it? Not like whether you win or lose is really a big deal. Sure the guys from Doom are a bit creepy, especially their leader, but I worked for Malik before and that turned out well didn't? Hell, I work for Kaiba and it doesn't get much creepier than that!" The punk duelist casually slid a deck into his Doom Slider and then unfolded it so that it was in position. (DLP: 8000)

Yami grabbed something that was thrown at him, and looked at it. The thing he had caught was a small chip that said in small words 'Rule Alteration'. He glanced at the glowing green numbers on Drake's Doom Slider and then understood. Drake was still playing by the rules that they had used when they had been in the Shadow Realm. "Very well, I'll duel you just to crush you and make you see what a mistake you've made. The people from Doom are worse then you could possibly imagine!"

"I can imagine quite a bit Yami. Now insert that chip into the little slot at the bottom of your duel disk and then let's get this damned thing started already. I've got my end of a bargain to hold up." The former Pharaoh sneered and shoved the chip into the appropriate point. Then he shuffled his deck and placed it into the duel disk before activating it. Now the duel was going to begin, and he was going to start things off. (YLP: 8000)

The former Pharaoh drew six cards, indicating that he wanted to go first and would go first. He'd make this fast and defeat Drake, as he didn't want to deal with a friend turned foe for too long. At least Drake wasn't as much of a friend as Mai was, so the problem wasn't the same. "Alright Drake! I'll start us off by summoning Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1400) in attack mode! Next I place two cards face down, and end my turn."

The three named cards appeared, two vertically and directly in front of Yami, and the other a yellowish machine-like monster. Drake didn't seem impressed by this, in fact he was smirking, like it was nothing at all. "You want power? I'll show you power. I summon Neo the Magical Swordsman(1700/1000)!" The armored sword wielding magician took his place on the field, steadying his blade in readiness for an assault on Beta.

Yami scoffed, his patented smirk appearing. The smirk that had meant doom for many a duelist. "For all your boasting your monster is exactly as strong as my own. So unless you want to destroy them both, I'd say you can't manage anything this turn." The punk duelist just sighed and shook his head, waving his hand of cards back and forth.

"For the guy who gained the name King of all duelists from Pegasus, you sure seem to be an amateur about some things. Do you really think I'm an amateur? It's not the strength of your cards, it's how you play them together. And I'll show you the power of my magicians united! To start off I activate this, Dimension Magic!" The Pharaoh gasped as he saw a golden coffin appear, and Neo was encased within it. Then it sent a stream of energy out, shattering Alpha. Lastly the coffin opened, allowing a magician in robes reflecting a cloudy day on them to be summoned.

"Dimension Magic can only be played if I have a spellcaster on the field, and it requires the sacrifice of a monster. Then I can special summon a creature from my hand and destroy a creature of your own. In this case I offered Neo and destroyed Beta in order to special summon Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)." Yami quirked an eyebrow, surprised at how his opponent had spent so much effort for such a weak monster.

"Think my monster is weak do you? On it's own it is, but when working together with it's counterpart it becomes virtually unstoppable! Now witness their power! When Guardian Magician of the Day is special summoned I can instantly special summon Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) from my hand or deck to the field!" A second magician, similar to the previous, shimmered into view. This one's robes were a reflection of a pitch black sky, with stars dotting it.

"Each turn that these two are together I can unite their powers to activate one of two effects. Since your field is empty of monsters I'll use the other option, and pay one thousand life points to destroy every magic and trap card on your field! Twilight Storm!" The two magicians crossed their staffs and raised them to the sky, sending a beam of light straight up. There was silence for a moment, but then a column of energy shot down from the clouds and pierced through both of Yami's face down cards obliterating them. (DLP: 7000)

"Now my magicians, attack Yami directly with your combined power! Twilight Dual Strike!" The unity magicians lowered their crossed staffs to aim at Yami, and then let loose a stream of intermixed white and black magical energies. The pharaoh braced himself for the impact, but was still knocked backwards by the full force of the attacks. (YLP: 4700)

He stared at his life point counter for a second, grimacing at seeing what had happened. Had Drake not given him that chip, he'd be down to his last seven hundred life points. As it was Drake had managed to nearly cut his life points in half in one strike. So if Drake knew his creatures could be this deadly, why increase their life points? "In case you were getting any ideas about attacking my weaker Guardian Magician, I'll set a card face down. That's all for now."

Yami drew his card, and saw a brain with hands reaching out on a magic card background. He glanced at two of his other cards, and a plan began to form. He could do this easily, and turn the tide. "Hey Yami. I bet you're wondering why I increased our life points. Well, I noticed in a couple of duels previous to this that my Unity Magicians have a tendency to pile up on power and easily rip through opponents. As much as it would be impressive to defeat you, one of the kings of duelists, in a few turns, that's not what I want. I want a tough duel, and I expect you to give it to me."

"I have every intention of making this a duel you can't possibly walk away from! I activate the magic of Brain Control, to seize command of your Guardian Magician of the Night! Next I offer it to summon Berfomet(1400/1800), whose effect allows me to add Gazelle to my hand from my deck." Drake smirked, knowing exactly what was going to come next. How traditional of Yami. The guy seriously needed some new moves.

"Now I use Polymerization to combine my two monsters together into Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast(2100/1800)! Chimera, destroy Guardian Magician of the Day!" The newly summoned fusion beast charged straight at Day and smashed the magician apart with its horns, completely unhindered by Drake's set card. Yami watched it and Drake for a moment, wondering why Drake hadn't played it. Perhaps it was a bluff? (DLP: 6300)

With no more plays that he could make for the turn, Yami chose to end his turn, allowing Drake to take over. The other duelist eagerly grabbed his card and looked at it, and then shook his head in amusement. "You know Yami, I actually wanted you to send Night to the cemetery. Day wasn't necessary, but it was extra material. You see, Night is a dark type, and Day is a light type, but so was Neo. And the monster I'm about to summon requires a dark type and a light type in the cemetery to be summoned."

The Pharaoh's eyes shot wide open as he realized exactly what was coming. He had seen this once before, in Battle City. If it was what he thought it was, then he was in trouble. If he remembered correctly then.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Its about time I take you apart Kaiba. I'll do that by unleashing two very deadly monsters, one of whom is a trump card of mine. I haven't gotten to use it at all during Battle City, and I'll glad use it to defeat you." Grinning wider than ever he slapped down two cards, one onto his monster field and the other into his magic/trap slots._

_"First off I sacrifice my defense monster for Chaos Magician(2400/1900) in attack mode! I also play the card I recovered...Monster Reborn to revive my trump monster...the Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000). To summon him I must remove one light and one dark type monster in my cemetery from the game. So I remove Mystical Elf and one of my apprentices to summon him!"_

_The first monster that appeared was dressed in black robes similar to those of the Dark Magician, his blue-skinned face barely visible. He held his black staff aloft and then slammed the butt of it into the ground, sending arching waves of energy up around him._

_The second monster was a strange one for a spellcaster. He carried no weapon and had dark skin. His eyes were covered by a black wrapping and all he wore was strange upturned black clothing, that gave him a mysterious and deadly appearance. The oddest part was that the light seemed to bend around him. This was the Chaos Sorcerer, one of Drake's deadliest monsters._ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Here it comes Yami, I remove Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night from the cemetery in order to special summon one of my trump monsters! Come forth Chaos Sorcerer(2300/2000)!" The dark skinned chaos user took shape, in the familiar black leather clothing and wrappings, eyes covered and all.

"I think I'll show you exactly the nature of my power with this next card. With it's power I'll show you just how outmatched you are! For with it, in a normal duel I would be the winner of this duel before this turn ends. My card is this: Seal of Orichalcos!" Yami's lips twitched into a sneer as the familiar circle formed around them, the seal emblazoned upon Drake's forehead was enough to tell Yami that Drake was fully committed to this duel.

A dark green glow sprang up around Drake, and he smirked. Then all of a sudden the glow died down, and he clenched his right fist tightly, raising it up to reveal a small chain wrapped around his hand, with a glowing fragment of the Orichalcos in the middle of his palm. "Is this the ancient power that was mentioned to me? This is the great dark power of the Seal of Orichalcos? Pitiful!" His opponent gasped in shock at how easily he shrugged off the dark power of the Seal, despite how impossible that seemed.

"Chaos Sorcerer, send Chimera straight to the graveyard by using your Chaos Flare! Say goodbye to your hopes of victory Yami, because here comes my sorcerer!" The dark skinned sorcerer raised his palms and sent twin streams of energy at Yami, one black and one white. They collided with the former Pharaoh and blasted him backwards, singing him. He panted, trying to recover from the shock that, had this been a normal duel, he would have already lost. (YLP: 4000)

"Using the special effect of Chimera I'll return Berfomet to the field in defense mode. Is that all?" Drake gave him a little nod, and that was all that Yami needed. He drew a card, and swiftly set it down on the field behind his red skinned beast. He needed defense, because no amount of attack power could defeat the special effect of Chaos Sorcerer, not even Timeus. He'd have to lure Drake out before he could defeat this creature that had been Kaiba's end in their duel.

Drake glanced casually at the card he had drawn, and upon discovering that it wasn't something he could use at the moment, he merely made a choice. Why attack when you can do even worse? With the bond that Yami claimed to have with his monsters, this technique would be brutal indeed. "Chaos Sorcerer, banish Berfomet from this plane. Send it to the deepest depths of the abyss!" The sorcerer combined the streams of black and white magic into a pure stream of chaos energy, a dark purple beam that struck Berfomet in the chest. Briefly the creature's colors inverted, and then it was gone.

As soon as it was Yami's turn, the duelist took his next card off his deck and then slapped it down onto the field, watching as the image of a white skinned man with long dark hair appeared on the field, crouching behind a very large shield. Defense was what he needed, and defense was what his deck was supplying him with. "Big Shield Guardna(100/2600) in defense mode. End turn."

The punk duelist smirked and immediately slapped his own monster onto the field, but this one came in attack mode. "You've seen Day and Night, so allow me to introduce you to one of their heralds. I summon Sunrise Magician(2000/1300), who automatically gains dark power, boosting it to the level of the Dark Magician. And with this power backing me up, I'll banish Big Shield Guardna!" The sorcerer did so, leaving Yami's only defense as his set card.

"Now, Sunrise Magician, Rising Sun Inferno!" Drake's red clad magician raised his bronze staff over head, and began chanting. To Yami's surprise flickers of flame seemed to descend from the sky, gathering at the tips of the magician's staff. Finally the magician extended his staff out towards Yami, ends pointing outwards, and launched his attack. Two jets of fired converged together as a tornado of flame, on a collision course with Yami.

"Drake, by using the power of your Guardian Magicians you sent a card to the cemetery that is one of my best traps. And using my face down card I can bring it back into action. Go, Grave Chain! Return my Mirror Force and activate it!" Black chains shot down into the ground from his card and pulled up the Mirror Force card, which erected its barrier and bounced back Sunrise Magician's attack, blasting both it and the Chaos Sorcerer to pieces.

"You see Drake, my power has succeeded in defeating the Chaos Sorcerer and your boosted magician. I won't back down even an inch, so expect this duel to just keep getting tougher." Yami was now confident that he had a shot, even though he had no cards on hand and none on the field. Drake had one set card and two so far useless cards in hand, and his set card was useless as well, as he had seen earlier. He could turn the tide.

"That's what I want Yami, I want to see the extent of your skill as a duelist! I want to see if you can offer me the ultimate duel! So give me everything you've got and then some!" His power flared up at these words, the dark green aura appearing around him, but not seeming to affect him at all. His trench coat flared outwards, and a grin was prominent on his face. Yami couldn't believe that Drake was enjoying this duel when there were such consequences to it.

Suddenly it hit him. Drake's enjoyment of the duel, the grin on his face, the severity of the situation not seeming to bother him....it could only mean one thing! "Drake....do you know the full power of the Seal of Orichalcos? Do you know what it can do?" Drake quirked an eyebrow at him and then chuckled, obviously amused by the question.

"You think I'd go into a duel where I didn't know the effect of a card I was using? The Seal of Orichalcos grants its user dark power, both in the magical sense and in the duel sense. It increases my monster's power by five hundred and lets me play up to ten. Also, it can't be destroyed by an effect. Is that enough for you?" So it was true, Drake really didn't know.

"You have no idea of the severity of the situation! When the Seal of Orichalcos is played the consequences of losing the duel become tremendous! Whichever one of us loses this duel....loses their soul! That is the price of the that dark power you're using!" Drake's reaction was completely nonexistant. He merely glanced around at the seal around them, and sighed.

"Even if that's the case, even if it takes my soul or yours....I have to continue fighting. But now it seems it can't be about fun as well. I wanted it to be an enjoyable duel for the both of us, regardless of the situation.....but this changes things. I'll fight you tooth and nail till the end, and I'll win this duel for my own reasons! Now take your turn!" Yami clenched his fists and his jaw, furious with Drake for acting this way. He didn't know what Drake wanted from this duel, but he was going to win it, one way or another.

"Drake, I'm going to turn the tide of this duel by using my favorite card. My most faithful servant will be your deadly opponent. I play Curtain of Black Magic at a cost of half my life points in order to special summon the Dark Magician(2500/2100) to the field in attack mode! Then I have him attack you directly!" Coming forth from parted curtains was Yami's favorite monster, the purple clad magician. The Dark Magician raised his weapon and unleashed a blast of purple energy at Drake. (YLP: 2000)

"Go face down card, Mirage Magic! You've seen Dalin's Drain Shield in action, and this is a quick-play version of the same. So I now negate your attack and gain life points equal to it!" A shimmering barrier sprang up in front of him, allowing the attack to fizzle against it. Yami grimaced as he realized that Drake hadn't used it against Chimera because he wanted to save it for later, for a more critical moment. Drake had timed his move quite wisely, and now his life points were above the starting point. (DLP: 8800)

With no other move to make it became Drake's turn, and the trench coat wearing duelist drew his card, and then smirked as he displayed it to his opponent. "The card I've drawn has a special ability that is activated when drawn. It's my Quick-Silver Magician(1400/1200), which is automatically special summoned to the field when drawn. So here he comes!" A lithe magician in tight silver robes darted out of Drake's card, landing on the field in a crouch. His staff was thin and razor-like, the perfect weapon for a speedy magician.

"Since he was special summoned that makes him perfect fodder for a sacrifice. So I offer him to special summon Chaos Magician Girl(2000/1700) in attack mode! Meet the chaotic version of your magician girl, the counterpart to my strongest magician!" The female magician appeared on the field, decked out in leather and buckles just like her master always was. Her skin was also the same shade of blue.

"Also, because Quick-Silver Magician went to the grave I get to draw a card. That's not all though. Just like my other monsters Chaos Magician Girl gains five hundred attack points as a bonus from the dark power of the seal. But she also gains three hundred attack points for every card in the removed from play pile of each player. So she's got thirty-one hundred attack power!" She raised her staff overhead, laughing as energy coursed through her, making her stronger than even a Blue Eyes White Dragon.

"I set up one card, and then I attack Dark Magician with her!" The magical girl raised her weapon and unleashed a sphere of chaos energy at the black magic wielding magician, who readied himself for the strike. Suddenly it veered aside, exploding on contact with the air for no apparent reason. Yami smirked and eject a card from his grave, displaying the power he had used. Super Electric Turtle....so that must have been the card he discarded through Grave Chain's effect.

The Pharaoh gladly drew his next card, and then smirked as he activated it. It was a special card, one that would help him turn things around. Soon he'd be the one in charge of this duel. "I play Thousand Knives, which can only be used when a Dark Magician is on the field. I can no destroy your monster automatically!" The Dark Magician raised his arms, and thousands of knives materialized around him. Then he extended his arms, sending the fleet of knives at the more powerful Chaos Magician Girl.

"Not so fast! Activate quick-play, Negative Morality! By paying one thousand life points I can negate the effect of one card played by my opponent, so your Thousand Knives card fizzles, leaving you with no way to protect yourself." Yami could only switch Dark Magician into defense, and then end his turn. He'd just have to hope that Drake couldn't summon another monster to the field, or he was in trouble. (DLP: 7800)

"I'll begin by placing a monster in defense mode. Now I offer Chaos Magician Girl to activate her effect and special summon a Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) into play! He may be weaker, but his effect makes up for it! So Black Magician of Chaos, use your Chaos Scepter Blast on Dark Magician!" The newly summoned leather buckled chaos user swung his staff around and slammed it against the ground, sending a ball of chaos energy streaking towards the opposing magician. It was swiftly consumed, and removed from the game.

"I guess all I have left to do is set a single card face down, and end my turn." The card appeared in holograph form to his far right, as that was the magic zone he had placed it in. He idly contemplated just how he would use the advantages of Front and Rear Defense that was allowed by the Seal of Orichalcos, but knew it would wait. He had placed his set monster in rear defense, so it couldn't be attacked before getting through his Black Magician of Chaos in front defense.

While he continued to consider what he could do next turn, Yami was busy drawing his card and thinking of his own next move. The Pharaoh sighed and placed the card face down on the field, awaiting it's activation at a later date. He could only hope now that the card would help him out as it had in the past. "That's all that I can manage. Go ahead Drake, take your turn." The punk duelist nodded and drew his card, ready to go on the offensive yet again.

Drake swept his trench coat away from his arm and surveyed his options. Yeah, it looked like everything was coming together. Shortly the duel would be his, all it would take would be a few more attacks. "I play Magic of Revival, allowing me to special summon a magician from either player's cemetery. So I revive Chaos Magician Girl, who now has thirty-four hundred attack power. Both my monsters will attack you directly!" The two magic users unleashed their chaos blasts, roaring across the field in order to obliterate the last of Yami's life points.

"I'm not out of this yet! Reveal magic card, Magical Textbooks! This card is definitely a risk, but it's worth it. Normally I'd discard my hand, but since I don't have one it's not a problem. Now I shuffle my deck and draw the top card. If it's a magic card I activate it....if not, I'm going to lose this duel. So here I go!" As quickly as he said it he pulled free the top card of his recently shuffled deck, and then raised it up above his head to be clearly seen.

The image on the card was clear, that of a man being showered by coins from the sky. There was only one card that it could possibly be, however unlikely it was that it had been done. Card of Sanctity, whose effect allowed them both to draw until they held six cards. "Nice draw Mr. Duel King, but a brand new hand won't stop my incoming attacks! You're still going to lose!"

"Not so fast Drake, my Card of Sanctity has awarded me with two very special monsters who have saved me before and will continue to do so! The first is Watapon, which was placed into my hand by an effect so is special summoned to the field. The second is Kuriboh, which I discard to negate the damage of your magician girl!" Watapon took shape on the field as a little white fluff-ball which was vaporized and removed from the game by Black Magician of Chaos. Kuriboh appeared on the field and took Chaos Magician Girl's attack. It was completely incinerated.

"Well, that was not only lucky but kinda scary if you think about it. Those two draws in one go? And the fact that you go Card of Sanctity in the first place? I've got to say, this is the kind of combination of luck and skill that I wanted to see from the supposed Duel King. Oh but wait....that's Dalin isn't it? Heh, that's something I'll contest when I face him and strip him of his title!" The two duelists glared at each other, each one ready to continue dueling as hard as they could.

"Thanks for the new hand by the way. It's given me new options. For instance, I set one card, and then activate Effect Economics. This will allow us both to not have to worry about paying for effects. Also I can summon Ghost Sorcerer(1700/1700) to the field, which gains dark power. And I'll have it in my rear defense along with my set monster." The named cards appeared on the field, ready to take on whatever Yami could manage.

The tri-haired former Duel King added a fifth card to his hand, and looked them over once again. He saw an immediate option that would help his cause, but it wouldn't do everything for him. He'd have to start with it though, and go from there. "I'll use the magic of Heavy Storm to blow away all magic and trap cards on the field." Drake let out a small groan as his magic and traps were blasted into oblivion, leaving him with just four monsters on the field to use.

"Next I play Payment of Debt to draw three. Hmmmm, it looks like I have a way to defeat you right here in my hand! First I'll activate Monster Reborn to revive Beta the Magnet Warrior!" His yellow magnet monster was specially summoned to the field, giving him a piece of the three part puzzle that would create his strongest monster. But Drake wasn't worried, as Chaos Magician Girl was two hundred points stronger than Valkyrion would be.

"I send Beta from the field along with Alpha and Gamma from my hand to the cemetery in order to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior(3500/3850). Unfortunately Valkyrion is too weak to combat your strongest monster, so leaving him in attack mode would be folly. So I'll use his special ability to bring back the three magnet warriors." Drake couldn't help but be curious as to what Yami was planning as he sent his mighty magnet warrior to the grave to bring back the three pieces.

"This same technique toppled Obelisk boosted by dark power in my first duel against a minion of Doom. Here it is, the magic card Brave Attack! It will send each of my three monsters in an attack against your Chaos Magician Girl in order to destroy her completely!" The three smaller monsters launched themself at the chaos user, attacking her from all sides. In the end she unleashed a tremendous blast of power that incinerated all four of them. (DLP: 6900)

"That's not all though. I can play Premature Burial to revive Valkyrion at a cost of eight hundred life points. So here he comes again!" For the second time in one turn the combination creature emerged, filling the field with his tremendous power. Unfortunately it was just barely greater than Black Magician of Chaos' boosted attack strength. But it was enough to get the message across. (YLP: 1200)

"Valkyrion, strike down Black Magician of Chaos and remove it from the game!" His magna warrior unleashed a tremendous force of power with a stroke of his blade, splitting Drake's strongest magician in half and shattering it into millions of holographic fragments. The damage was minimal, but Drake's two greatest monsters and the biggest threat to Yami's life points were both gone. (DLP: 6500)

Unable to do anything else as his hand was completely empty Yami was only able to end his turn, and hope that Drake couldn't recover from Yami's onslaught, or find a way to defeat Valkyrion. Because if he did find a way, then Yami's last chance at victory would be snatched away. And his recent loss to Raphael had taught him that he wasn't invincible, even more so than his defeat at Dalin's hands, or at Ihachi's. On situation it was an extraordinary duelist who defeated him, in the next it was a duelist using ridiculously powerful cards. Against Raphael, the opponent who had defeated him had been...himself.

The punk duelist merely drew his card and grimaced, finding himself in a bad situation. He shrugged and played the card down on the field, watching as it appeared in front of him in all its glory. "I summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600) in defense mode, and then I move my other monsters to defense mode. That's all I can do." His other monsters moved into crouching positions, and then his turn was over.

Yami added yet another card to his hand, having gone through around twenty-five cards already, while Drake was on a smaller amount. Heck, if he didn't finish this quickly he might end up being decked out. "I set a card face down. Now Valkyrion will cut your Skilled Chaos Magician down to size!" The large robotic warrior flew to the magician and cut him in half, not dealing any damage to Yami's life points, but still removing more of Drake's defenses. Sooner or later he'd get through and find a way to defeat Drake.

Drake surveyed his hand, looking at the three cards. He could use two of the cards he held, but they wouldn't help. In his hand was the Dark Magician, Chaos Magician, and Soul of the Thoughtful, which in this situation was useless. He needed something good or he'd have to remain on the defensive, and against Yami that wasn't necessarily a good idea. "Draw!"

He brought his new card up in front of his eye, and then looked down at one of the other cards he held. Then he looked at the creatures on his field and broke into a grin. This would work, he could win the duel here and now. "Yami, I'm going to end the duel in this turn. I sacrifice Ghost Sorcerer and my set monster in order to summon the Dark Magician! Not only that but I'll discard one card to keep Ghost Sorcerer on the field." Drake's set monster vanished, and it was replaced by the purple clad magician, who instantly gained dark power, making it equal to a Blue Eyes.

"On it's own my Dark Magician is too weak to tackle your Valkyrion, but once I power him up a little I can not only rid the field of Valkyrion, but end the game as well by attacking with Ghost Sorcerer. I equip Dark Magician with Chaos Blade, and then have it attack Valkyrion!" Dark Magician's staff was replaced by a shimmering sword that seemed to suck in the light and darkness around it. Now armed with a new weapon the Dark Magician attacked Valkyrion.

"Valkyrion, counterattack and destroy the Dark Magician!" Valkyrion rushed in to meet the magician, and the two crossed blades. The instant they did a whirlwind of energy erupted around them, starting to shake up the entire playing field and both duelists. "What's going on?"

Drake smirked, knowing he had this game won. "Chaos Blade powers up the equipped monster by five hundred, making my Dark Magician equal to your Valkyrion. It also allows the equipped monster the same ability that Black Magician of Chaos has when it battles a monster. So though both will die, Valkyrion will be removed from the game. Now you're going to be completely open!" The vortex finally closed, leaving nothing but an empty space where there had once been two powerful duel monsters.

"Ghost Sorcerer, attack with Spectral Essence!" The ghastly magic user chanted a spell, and a strange flow of energy erupted from it's body, heading straight at Drake's spiky haired opponent. The ancient spirit extended one hand over his face down card, ready to chain to the attack.

"Not so fast! My set card will hold you where you are, so go magical Swords of Revealing Light!" The card flipped up and dozens of green swords shot out, slamming down around Drake's field, sealing his Ghost Sorcerer in place, making it so that it couldn't complete the attack. Luckily for Drake since it had been activated in his turn, he'd only have to wait two others before he could attack again.

Yami couldn't help but feel frustrated that he was currently helpless and relying on top decking to get him what he needed while he hid behind a shield. He had to draw something good soon, or else it was over! "Damn....I summon Cat's Ear Tribe(200/100) in attack mode. I await your assault when it comes. End."

Drake blinked, seeing the trio of kittens arrayed against him. He shook his head as he drew his card, apparently disgusted with something. "Sheesh. You must really think I'm dumb. I know what Cat's Ear Tribe can do, that bluff doesn't help at all, considering all I have to do is discard a card and Ghost Sorcerer will remain, while Cat's Ear Tribe dies. Luckily for you the swords are still in place, so I just summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700) and end."

His black robed magician took it's place, gaining dark power instantly and jumping up to twenty-four hundred attack strength. It was astounding that a basic monster could achieve such great strength with absolutely no effort. "Let's get this over with Yami, there's something I need to do."

"I won't keep you waiting long. I simply set a card face down and end my turn." Drake blinked once, but then continued with his own turn. His draw gave him yet another monster, but not something that was actually practical yet. It would help when the time came to attack his opponent, but for the duration of this turn he was still locked down by the swords.

"My next monster is Nia the Magical Swordswoman(1300/1400) who gains both five hundred attack, and another twelve-hundred because six cards have been removed from the game. That sets her at a brutal three thousand attack power. Next turn I'll end this and get my reward!" With those words he clenched his fists at his side, unleashing a bit of his power, sending ribbons of energy arcing around the duel.

Yami's turn started, and the swords that had locked Drake in place from attacking were gone. He had one draw only to turn this entire thing around. There was one card he knew of that could turn the tide, but there was a problem. It wasn't in his deck right now, and the last time he had tried to use it the damned thing hadn't worked. Feeling that the duel was about to end, he felt there was one last thing he needed to hear. "What's your reward? What is the purpose of this duel for you, the reason you so willingly risk both of our souls."

"You know about my sister, you know I'd do anything for her. Well....her situation is getting worse. Because of her physical weakness she's steadily getting worse, her body is starting to waste away. Even the work the doctors are doing won't keep her alive for more than a few months, maybe longer. Even magic hasn't worked, believe me, I've tried. So that's where this comes in." Yami shook his head in denial, knowing where this was going. Meanwhile the little girl and the older man he had met were running towards the seal.

"Drake, you should know better than to trust someone like Dartz. No matter what he promised, it won't be fulfilled. He'll go back on his word, I know it!" Moments before Drake had been keeping his head down while he spoke, his hair in his eyes. But suddenly at those words he whipped his head up, power erupting around him. Not just the dark power of the seal, but the power of the Millennium Disc as well. Somehow Drake was bypassing the power of the seal!

"All I have to do is win, and then that ancient magic can be used to save my sister! And if Dartz refuses to pay up, I'll kill him. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'll kill anyone who stands between me and my objectives! I swore that I would save my sister's life, that I would one day see her eyes filled with life again! And I will, even if I have to pile up the bodies to do so!" His power exploded off his body, knocking Yami into the edge of the seal and holding him there, the energies of the seal sparking against his back, starting to heat up and burn.

Finally his power died down slightly as he took deep breaths, his body shaking from the intense magical energies that had been rushing through his body. Yami had seen this before, the symptoms of magical overdose. Drake had done this when he faced Autumn, and used up his life doing so in his duel against Taichi. His body was capable of handling more power, but he still didn't have the control needed to stem the tide of the boundless energy capable of being created by the Millennium Disc. Yami was certain that sooner or later it would the cause of Drake's demise.

There was a feeling of a light bursting within him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the little girl being hurled away by the seal. Yet it seemed she had nearly forced her way in at the moment that Drake's powers had battered against the seal the strongest. "I sympathize with you Drake, I truly do, but I won't allow you to kill anyone. This is bigger than you know. If Dartz succeeds then mankind is doomed! I won't let that happen!"

With those words he drew his card, and he felt the energy surge as he felt the power flow into him. Somehow he knew, without looking and without using it, that this was going to be the card that saved the day. He knew that this time it was going to work. "Drake, I've drawn the one card that can turn the tide! I play Eye of Timeus, and combine Timeus with Cat's Ear Tribe!" The green dragon and the little cat warrior jumped together, swirling into one another until a full combination was created. The creature that emerged was a green dragon with yellow spots and two furry little cat ears at the top. The eyes were also those of a cat.

"Together they have become Cat-Eared Dragon(1500/900)! With my cat-dragon's new strength I will vanquish your monsters before you can get a chance to strike back!" The cat-dragon issued forth what might be mistaken as a roar, but only if the person was very confused or highly intoxicated. What completed the image of Yami's new monster other than its cute little ears and its puny stats was the fact that from a tiny cat and a huge dragon had come a cat-dragon the size of a puppy.

To say that Drake was threatened by the puppy sized cat-dragon would have been an affront to all people who have ever been threatened by anything. To say that he was worried by the cute little combination monster was like saying that Kaiba was capable of truly admitting that Yami was a better duelist. He was in fact, none of these things. He was on his knees, shaking with laughter. "It's a little kitty! Bwahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha!!!!!"

Yami's glare would have been enough to silence a dozen men with spears aimed at his throat. His patented look had frightened many a petty thug and petty duelist attempting to intimidate him or his friends. In this case the glare had absolutely no effect, because Drake was too busy laughing hysterically at the adorable kitty-dragon to notice the glare.

"I'll demonstrate it's great power! Cat-Eared Dragon, destroy Nia!" The little kitty-dragon bounded over to Nia, who knelt down and cooed at the little creature. Her giggle was instantly turned to a cry of surprise as the tiny thing bowled her over and breathed flame in her face, blowing her away. There was nothing but holographic dust in it's wake as it happily trotted back to Yami's side of the field. (DLP: 5400)

"What the hell was that? Your monster had only half the attack power of mine! Nia should have been able to kick it like the kitten that it is!" Yami only smirked, fully aware of the great power of his merged creature. Despite it's appearance this was a far better combination than his Dark Magician Girl/Timeus combination that he had used against Raphael.

"That was the strength of my so-called kitten. Whenever it battles a monster that creature's attack strength is instantly reduced to the base attack power of the original combination creature. Timeus isn't really a monster, so it took on the base points of Cat's Ear Tribe. So when Cat-Eared Dragon attacked your monster, her attack power dropped to two hundred, making her easy prey for my kitten." Drake grimaced, now coming to realize the severity of it's power. He couldn't battle it at all, because even if his monster had a billion attack points it would instantly drop to two hundred when it fought with Cat-Eared Dragon. It was a damned deadly kitty-dragon.

"Damn....I move both my monsters to defense mode. That's all I can do." His turn was over, and he just had two monsters to block Cat-Eared Dragon. He didn't know if Cat-Eared Dragon would drop their defense to two hundred or not, but he certainly wasn't going to leave them in attack mode to get their collective ass handed to them by a puny little....thing.

Bit by bit his anger was starting to build up again, and he could feel the tidal wave of power being barely held back by the barriers he had erected after Battle City. If they completely broke it would be like the flood gate of a dam being shattered. The power he had wielded against Ihachi had been so tremendous because within a place of the Shadow Realm totally manipulated by one who in the past was so connected to him made it easy to control that power, to leech off hers.

Unfortunately that power had come with a price. It had been too soon for him to reach that level, and when his energy started to return he found it was too great for him to handle. He just couldn't control it, so with a little advice he managed to concoct mental barriers over his power that would keep the potentially limitless powers of the Millennium Disc from overwhelming him and turning him into the newest crater in the earth.

Theoretically he knew that full control over the Disc was possible. Ihachi had demonstrated that to him in the past. The problem was he hadn't had any training in it's use, had no true knowledge of how it worked, and was generally clueless about how to handle that power. There was just so much frightening power within him, power that had, at least according to Shadi, or at least Shadi's ghost, been the source of his rage throughout the past several years.

A few weeks after he arrived in America he had encountered Shadi, but had discovered that this was merely an echo of the Millennium Item's keeper. Having had his physical body destroyed by Taichi he was forced to live on as this shade, just a shadow of his former self quite literally. Shadi had told him a little, but because he was the keeper of the seven that Yami and his pals used he didn't know much about the items that he, Ryu, and Autumn wielded. He had been able to help Drake erect those flood gates, and that had been enough.

But now deep within him more power was flowing, and he had no idea what to do with it. If he didn't find a way to harness it soon , it was going to kill him, that he was sure of. His attention was suddenly snapped back to the duel as he realized that Yami had just activated a magic card, Hand Obliteration, to force him to discard his hand. He did so, slipping it into the graveyard.

"Now I activate my trap card, Mode Shift! This will force your defense monsters into attack mode until the end of your next turn. That's more than enough time for me to finish you off! So go Cat-Eared Dragon, incinerate his Ghost Sorcerer." Drake's thoughts fell back on that deep power lurking within him, the deadly power that could consume everything around him, and that was currently leeching off the power of the Seal of Orichalcos and pumping it directly into his veins. (DLP: 4100)

Drake drew a card and glanced at it, saw that it was useless, and declared the end of his turn. He was certain now that he was going to lose this duel, all he knew was that somehow, someway, he was going to have to hold off the power of the Seal of Orichalcos, which was attacking the barriers he had set up. If the Seal of Orichalcos broke them, the darkness would collide with that limitless energy. The unrelenting strength of the Orichalcos combined with the limitless energy of human emotion......there was no telling what it could do. But with it, the power that was needed would be gained instantly.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700). Cat-Eared Dragon will cut down your Skilled Dark Magician, and my own will attack directly. Take this duel to its final step!" The little dragon took down his magician, and finally a direct attack collided with his chest, not even budging him from where he stood. He was still locked in his internal struggle to keep the flood gates from opening. (DLP: 900)

Slowly Drake made the struggle to place his two fingers on the edge of his next card, and tried to force them to draw the card. In that moment of focus to draw, his attention slipped the slightest degree, and it happened. The flood gates opened, and the terrible powers of the seal corrupted the boundless power flowing into him. Drake was being corrupted utterly by darkness. His fingers pulled the card, and the entire field started to go dark.

Yami stared wide eyed as all the light on the field was being pulled towards Drake, being absorbed into his body. The duelist completed his draw and then let loose an ear-splitting cry that seemed to shake the very foundations of Yami's existence. He felt the power as a tangible presence around him, the darkness....he could feel it sliding around him, slick and wet.

Drake threw his arms wide open and the darkness erupted from his body in waves, assaulting the barrier around them. Yet somehow, Yami was almost completely untouched. It was only after a cracking sound was heard did he realize what was happening. This new power, this new darkness.....it was attacking the Seal of Orichalcos!

The Seal of Orichalcos, one of the strongest forces ever to exist. Its bindings were unbreakable, unstoppable, unrelenting. Nothing could stand against it. That mighty Seal of Orichalcos stood against the full power of this new and ancient darkness....and shattered. That extraordinary power of the Orichalcos was pricked like a soap bubble by the dark power. "Impossible!"

The darkness back off, coiling specifically around Drake's body, making him barely visible. It stayed that way for several seconds before dying down just enough to be visible around him. Drake's eyes were pitch black, and burning upon his forehead was not the Seal of Orichalcos, but a new symbol. Black kanji, etched out in the form of a single word. Darkness.

Suddenly Drake spoke, it was a voice laced with an intense malice that Yami had not experienced since the last time he had heard Taichi speak. "Behold the great powers of the Heart of Darkness. In this duel I'll use this power, to pay half my life points and remove every card on the field from the game, to consume them all with darkness!" Thick black tendrils roped around Yami's monsters, dragging them into the maw of darkness that surrounded Drake, and in moments they were gone. (DLP: 450)

"Yet again I play half my life points in order to create a single strike of darkness with powers equal to all those creatures trapped within. I shall unleash the full power of that darkness in one strike of seventeen thousand three hundred attack power. Darkness Wave!" A tendril of darkness slammed straight into Yami, chucking him backwards and onto the ground, where he rolled several paces before coming to a stop. The duel was at last over, and Drake had won. (DLP: 225, YLP: 0)

Slowly the darkness faded from around Drake, and the symbol vanished from his forehead. He dropped to his knees, astonished that the power had stepped back somehow. It was like this new power that had been released had increased his power enough that he could stem the tide without thinking....at least so far. His body ached all over, but at least neither one of them had lost their soul.

There was something he had to do though. He had won the duel that had been requested of him, and now he had to go back to Dartz and make sure everything worked out right. And if not....he'd crush that creepy blue haired freak with his new strength....so long as he could understand how it worked.

He mounted his motorcycle and pulled on his helmet, ready to get getting at last. He shot a glance back at Yami who was being tended to by Tea and some strangers, an old man, a young girl, and oddly enough a wolf. He called out to them one last time before departing. "Make sure he gets better. I've got a feeling that the phrase 'it's always darkest before the dawn' doesn't apply here. I think this is just the calm before the storm."

With that said he drove away, feeling that darkness ripple underneath his skin. What was it? Why was it there? Why him? So many questions flooding through his mind. "Heart of Darkness....I know my heart is dark....but is it really like that? It was so coated in darkness that I felt like I was going to be sick. Is that my destiny? To be like a plague of darkness?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The circle of robed men stared at the image of Drake fleeing on his motorcycle, and a steady look passed between them. One of them nodded and as one they turned to the three men crouching in front of them. "We have found the first half. Go and take him, then bring him to us. We require the darkness for our master to be freed. The other half must also be found."

The three men rose and then gave deep bows before backing away into the shadows, completely invisible in seconds. One of the robed men turned to the speaker and chose to ask a question. "One of the messengers had already been dispatched to confront the other potential."

The original speaker glanced at an image of Kai and Dalin walking through a city and then he looked back at his companion. "Perhaps one of them is the other we are searching for, perhaps not. But I feel it coming, our ultimate goal. The master will be released, and all will be well."

Then they spoke as one. "From this moment onwards, everything changes. The End is coming." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: End Ch.6. Wow, bet you probably either did or didn't see that one coming. Now let the fun begin....almost. Mwuahahahahahhahahahaahahahhahahahahahaha!

Void Templar: LOL. Yeah, I've noticed that too. But hey! Who wants a short duel when they can have a long exciting one? After all, most real duels last around 25-30 turns if both players are pretty even.

Wolf General: Hehehe. Yeah, originally the duelist was Espa Roba, but I decided to make an original one. That was the reason for the Jinzo Deck....that and I really wanted to make one. :)

Time Mage: Wait and see buddy. Oh, and remember. These guys have no knowledge of what Dalin did against The Hand. Cost of Greed is a card I'm pretty sure Kevin used against Sakura, though I may be wrong and may have used the effect wrong.

Original Cards

Drake: Guardian Magician of the Day, Guardian Magician of the Night, Seal of Orichalcos, Sunrise Magician, Quick-Silver Magician, Chaos Magician Girl, Negative Moality, Magic of Revival, Ghost Sorcerer, Effect Economics, Skilled Chaos Magician, Soul of the Thoughtful(only seen), Chaos Blade, Nia the Magical Swordswoman, Heart of Darkness

Yami: Grave Chain, Payment of Debt, Mode Shift, Hand Obliteration, Cat-Eared Dragon

Anime Original Cards

Drake: Mirage Magic

Yami: Brain Control, Super Electric Turtle, Magical Textbooks, Brave Attack, Eye of Timeus


	8. A Rose By Any Other Name

Author's Notes: Here comes Chapter Seven. Keep in mind that I'm still zipping through the Doom Arc. I'm only briefly mentioning things in the Doom Arc that don't interest me. If you've seen the Doom Arc or just like it, then find something else about it, because I won't be going too far into any of it. Just restating this fact. 

_Chapter Seven: A Rose By Any Other Name_

Alternate Title: Duelist of the Roses

Dalin and Kai stopped their walking to sit down in the park. It was currently night, and the park looked quite wonderful illuminated as it was by the moonlight. Neither of the two duelists were quite certain what they would be up against once they found whatever it was they were looking for, but they felt that they were ready. Kai wondered which of them would have to duel, but felt fairly certain if a duel did come up like before, that it would be Dalin this time.

The muscular duelist pulled his deck out of the holder on his hip, and then started flipping through it. He opened his bag and pulled out a large case and opened it, revealing hundreds of cards, all of them face-up. Kai's eyes went wide as he saw some of the cards that Dalin had at his beck and call, and wondered how it was possible. Of course, it might be because of all the tournaments that Dalin had won he had gotten quite a number of rare cards from victory and also gotten a lot of money to purchase cards.

He set his cards out on a nearby table usually used for chess players, and started to place the cards out where he could see them. He was examining each of the cards in order, laying them out in an orderly fashion. Monsters formed the first set of rows, then magic, and then trap. Every once and a while he pulled a card out and replaced it with another card from his deck box. Occasionally he reached into his bag and searched through for other cards.

Kai watched the champion duelist switch a single card space out three or four times before finally settling on the card he wanted. Watching this sort of thing he realized exactly what made Dalin the current King of Duelists and what had given him the power to defeat Kai so easily. Dalin was always prepared, and always changing himself and his deck for each battle. "Your deck is a champion winning deck, don't you have faith in it?"

Dalin didn't look up from where he was editing his deck. However, he still managed to give his companion a response. "I've become the duelist I am today by never stopping to try and improve myself and my deck. I have faith in my own power and that of my deck as it has proven itself to me more than once. Yet I understand the power of variability. By not getting stuck on a single pattern of cards I gain the ability to become a stronger duelist, implementing different sorts of strategies. My primary theme and sub-theme remain the same, but I alter the methods and the cards."

Kai took a moment to think this through, and then decided there was something he wanted to do. Taking up a table across from Dalin he took out his deck and spread it out before him. Finally he reached into his bag and pulled out his smaller box of extras. Then he got to work editing his deck. After about ten or fifteen minutes of this, he came across one of the cards he had placed in his upper-level monster pile. "Buster Blader....the strength you possess allowed me to defeat Kevin, but I can't always rely on your strength or the strength of the Dark Paladin to win my duels. It didn't help me against Drake at all, and despite it's strength....the Dark Paladin just can't keep up."

Sighing he took the Buster Blader and placed it off to the side, and then searched through his cards to find the Polymerization card. Without his Buster Blader in his deck he didn't need it at all, so he'd be able to fill that space with a more useful card. Removing Buster Blader also lowered the number of upper-level monsters he had to three, an easier to handle number. He also took and set aside some of his non-spellcaster monsters, like Fiend Megacyber and Gilfar Demon. They were strong, but they just didn't fit his deck theme.

"If you want to replace the Buster Blader, I suggest not getting rid of Polymerization. After all, there might be a worthy fusion you can use." The bi-eyed duelist looked up at Dalin who had stepped away from his own table to approach Kai. In Dalin's hand was a card, extended out to Kai. Kai reached out and took the card, and brought it in front of his eyes so he could see it. The border was purple, which meant it was a fusion card.

"This card....I didn't even know it existed. You'd give it to me so easily, when it's obviously a rare card?" The older man shrugged his shoulders and returned to his table to continue editing his own deck. He was very casual about it, despite having just given away a very rare card.

"Does it look that card fits my deck? Besides, I have a feeling you and I will need every worthwhile card we have in order to fend off the growing threat. This order is a threat that must be crushed. They think they are enlightened, but in reality it's just delusions." The words about enlightenment brought Kai's mind back to something he had been reading in the book back on the plane. Reaching down into his bag he picked up the book and started flipping through it until he came across one of the parts he had marked.

"Dalin! I just figured something out when you used the word enlightenment. See, in this passage the book says that some of the upper level members of this religion or cult or whatever they are started calling themselves the 'Enlightened Ones'. That's the English translation of it at least. It was when you said enlightened in Japanese that made me make the connection. A similar word in English that means much the same thing as 'enlightened' is the word 'illuminated'." He stopped speaking to take a breath, and noticed the blank look on Dalin's face. Despite the man's intelligence, he apparently didn't know much English, so the connection wasn't made.

"For a long time there's been a group of people bent on creating one world nation, or a world order. Much the same sort of goal that this cult seems to have. They call themselves the enlightened ones, or the illuminated ones. In other words, when thinking of it in terms of Latin like this book is written in, the term could be this: Illuminati. For who knows how long a group of the more powerful men in the world has called itself that, seeking these goals. Supposedly they have their fingers in every political and business pot in the world." He could see it now, the look of realization that was appearing on Dalin's face. He too knew about the Illuminati, or at least the rumors.

"It gets worse than that. The Illuminati are said to be linked with a group called the Free Masons, which have a huge holding in the more upperclass people across the world. Nobody knows how many there are, but they've got lots of power. And then there's the Super Seven, a group of the most powerful men in the world also said to be connected with the Free Masons and Illuminati. One of those men is the American's president, George Bush. If all of these groups are truly connected, and they really are just parts of this one cult....then they practically control the world already, and they could be anywhere." His fists clenched with these words, as he started to remember some of the things that had been said about those groups. About what happened when secrets of theirs were about to be revealed.

"That means they are responsible. These people...they killed my parents because they were getting too close to learning something secret about them. And I'll make sure they suffer for that." Dalin and Kai shared a look of determination at these words, and finally turned back to finish up their deck editing. They had to be in top form, or they would be taken down.

"Well, look at this. A pair of duelists in the middle of a park?" The two duelists looked up at the sound of the voice speaking in English. And it was a strange lilted sort of English, sort of like a few things Kai had heard on TV. Unfortunately he didn't watch much television, so he probably wasn't as up on knowledge about that sort of things as another person would be.

The person who had spoken was a woman, and an attractive one at that. Kai didn't exactly prefer American women, in fact he generally felt that Americans were trouble, but even he could admit she was good looking. She had bouncy curls of reddish-gold hair, and she was wearing a dark red high-necked dress. It wasn't like some of the more evocative dresses that Kai had ever seen, but though it didn't look as if it was designed to be provocative, it was filled very well by her curvy form.

She looked to be about in her mid-twenties, and had a small confident smile etched on her face, making her look as if she was amused by something. She had high cheek bones, but it seemed to suit the way her hair was done up, bouncing down her back as it was. Her sparkling blue eyes also seemed to hold a hint of mirth. Slung across one shoulder was a dainty purse in a floral pattern. Dark red lipstick made her smile take on a hint of sexuality, and the slight tilted angle of her head gave away that she was interested in what they were doing.

She approached them with a walk that surprised Kai. He had seen women walk before, and he had seen some who flaunted themselves when they walked. What she did was....well it was different. It was like she wasn't trying to be provocative but was doing it anyways, like it was second nature to her. She didn't so much walk as she did flow. Finally her flowing walk brought her to the chess table, and she leaned over Dalin's shoulder to look at what he was doing. "Well now, that's certainly quite a number of rare cards sugar."

At the word 'sugar' Kai made the connection he had been missing. This woman, she was what he had heard the Americans call a 'Southern Bell'. Despite her provocative presence, Dalin seemed unaffected. He had stopped shifting around his cards and was now slightly twisted in his seat so he could look at her. "I've done well for myself in the world of dueling. Many of them came as prizes for victory."

"Is that so? Well I happen to be a duelist myself, if not so public of a one. See, I don't go to tournaments, I just have fun playing with friends occasionally. I did go to tournaments when I was about that poppin jay's age, but I stopped after a while. What's your name sugar?" Kai nearly protested at being called a poppin jay, but then he realized that he didn't know what it was. He was good enough at English to know most of what she was saying and understand it well enough, but neither of those words made any sense to him. They probably had something to do with his age....or maybe the way he was dressed.

"I've been told it's Dalin Imaki Sumatin. Unfortunately the source of that information is not very reliable, and is currently dead. That makes asking further questions difficult. In fact, that knowledge is the true reason for my dueling. I duel to discover my past." Kai was actually surprised to hear him so openly say such a thing. If he hadn't been told before hand he probably never would have gotten that information out of Dalin, and especially not so easily. Idly he wondered why Dalin was giving her such a measuring look.

"Splendid. It is truly wonderful to find people dueling for important things in life. Friends, family, loved ones, truth, and even adventures are wonderful reasons to duel. For myself its mostly fun, but on occasion I do duel for other reasons. I'm curious though, if you're done fixing up your deck I'd love it if we could duel. I saw you use angels and I've always wanted to duel an Angel Deck." She gave him a coy smile, slipping into what could be called 'puppy eyes' and poutty lips. Under normal circumstances any male would have had an automatic reaction to said tactics. Dalin was about as affected as a brick would have been.

Dalin rose to his feet and grabbed up his cards, shuffling them together. He collected his extras and placed them back into his card box and side boxes within his bag and then placed them into the bag. Finally he picked up the full deck and extended it to the woman. "I'm willing to duel. Though I'd like to know the name of my opponent." Kai gave Dalin a furious look, which was ignored, and wondered why Dalin had so easily accepted this woman's challenge when they had much more important things to be doing.

She smiled at the question and opened her purse, pulling out a deck of cards. She extended it to Dalin and the two exchanged their decks, shuffling them as swiftly as they could. The appraising eye that she gave Dalin's super speedy shuffling became a slight curtsy as if in respect. "I'd be honored to duel someone so courteous as yourself. Now sugar, I've got to keep up on manners and introduce myself don't I? I'm Rose Walker, from Georgia."

They handed their decks back and then started to go set themself down at the chess table so they could set up their decks and start dueling. However, before she sat down she snapped her fingers as if remembering something and then turned to Kai. "Sugar, I've never bothered to buy one of my own since they happen to be difficult to come by in America, so I was wondering if I could borrow your dueling disk? It'd be ever so wonderful if I could have chance to duel using one. I've seen a few duels that way and they are so wonderfully real that I just have to try it." Kai shrugged and took his duel disk off his arm and then handed it to her.

"The little button at the bottom adjusts the size, and that button right near the life point counter will activate it and launch the projectors. Now, I'll just step over here and let the two of you duel." She gave Kai another smile and then adjusted the disk on her arm. Then she snapped her deck in and pressed the button that Kai had indicated, unfolding the disk and launching the projectors. On the other side Dalin did the same, and the duel was on. (DLP: 4000, RLP: 4000)

"Ladies first, so I'll take the opportunity to start this little duel off. I'm going to start off by playing this little number, Devil's Snare! The effect of this card lets me shuffle one card from my deck into yours face-up. When you draw it you take one thousand points of damage. Of course you might never draw it, but it should still make things interesting won't it?" Dalin smiled slightly and approached her. He took out his deck and handed it to her.

After some searching through her deck she found the card she wanted about half-way into it. She took his deck and inserted it in face-up, and then proceeded to shuffle the deck for several seconds. Once she was satisfied with what she had done she returned the deck to Dalin and allowed him to return to his former spot on the playing field. "Now I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down behind it. End turn sugar." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At about this moment another duel was beginning, one between Joey Wheeler and the Doom Soldier called Varon. But that wasn't the only thing going on at the time. Ryu and Autumn were now exiting the limo that had been set up for them, and following the driver to the final location where they would receive further information.

Ryu grimaced as a gust of wind brought a familiar figure into view. The shorter man in the brown robe who had blasted him aside so easily was now right there. "You? What do you want? A duel?"

The brown robed man chuckled and extended his hand, which held a Duel Monsters card. Ryu snatched it away and read the name at the top. It said 'Final Destination', and it was a plain card, with an image of an island with some sort of weird palace on it or something. At the bottom instead of having an effect on it there was merely some numbers. "What the heck is this?"

But he was too late, the man was already gone, vanished in the wind. The limo driver finally spoke up, bringing Ryu and Autumn's attention back to him. "If you'd follow me sir and madam, I can lead you to where you can find a path to this location. From there on you must go onwards by yourself." The two exchanged glances, and then started following him. Sooner or later they'd find out what was going on.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Now it was Dalin's turn, and he drew his sixth card to start off with. He didn't know what card she had shuffled into his deck, nor did he know what sort of deck he was dealing with. She knew he used an Angel Deck, but that wasn't a huge help to her. Devil's Snare wasn't a card he had ever hear of, so her deck could be anything, even a Direct Damage Deck. "I begin by summoning Uranus, Angel of Good Will(1800/0)!"

The angel that he summoned had long dark brown wings that he kept extended over his head. He wore loose brown robes and had a small circlet around his forehead, allowing his long brown hair to flow down across his shoulders. A benevolent smile dominated his features. "Uranus, attack her set monster with your Benevolent Wavelength!" The angel raised one hand and extended it towards the set card. A blast of sound shot from it, shaking the set card.

After a few moments of this it shattered, briefly revealing something white, ovoid, and very small. Dalin didn't recognize it. "Thanks sugar. You just destroyed my Rose Seed(200/200) which when it goes to the graveyard I can special summon a Rose Seedling(400/400) to the field in defense mode. Love the angel by the way." Dalin gave her a considering look as the little seed's spot was taken by another little seed, only this one had a tiny little crack with something green sticking out of it. The stats were double, but it wasn't a major threat.

"Since Uranus destroyed a monster in battle I can take one card pertaining to angels from my deck and put it in my hand. The card I select is one I now play, the field card Sanctuary of the Sky!" He took the card from his deck and placed it onto his field zone. Kai and Rose watched as the heavenly palace arose as a place upon the clouds, with little angels flitting in and out of it. Rose giggled at the sight of the card, a happy look on her face. The kind of look that any duelist got in a tough spot when they were enjoying the duel.

Kai turned his gaze back at the duelist who had played it, and then his mind went back to his own duel where Dalin had carefully plotted out each turn. The angel duelist had been more than one step ahead of Kai the entire duel, allowing him an easy victory. It was that farsightedness that strengthened Dalin so much. It made him truly powerful. "Amazing, he can get a strong monster and his powerful field card in one turn. He's truly the King of Duelists."

"Now I set one card onto the field, and end my turn!" Dalin loaded his card into his duel disk, and it materialized before him. Now his turn was done, and he was left with four cards in his hand. It was impressive that he had made such a productive turn using only two cards. He had dealt no damage, but he had gotten out the key card to his deck with great ease. Only the very best could accomplish such a thing.

Rose made a little sound in the back of her throat, a little sound of amusement as soon as she looked at her next card. She moved her hand to her duel disk and picked up her monster, and pulled it off before sliding it into the cemetery. "By sacrificing my face-up Rose Seedling I can special summon a Rose Sprout(800/800) to the field in defense mode." Her little seedling vanished, and another seed took its place, only this one had a much larger extended plant tendril coming out of it. It didn't look like it was any danger, but Dalin would have to watch out for it anyways. He'd never seen monsters like these before.

"Each one gives way to the next, progressively becoming stronger. The final form must be truly a terror. I have to stop this process before she gets much headway into it, otherwise things could get difficult." A slight smile was creeping onto Dalin's face as he spoke these words to himself. Despite the truth of the situation he actually felt that he could enjoy this duel. Had Kai asked him his reasons for accepting it would probably have been because she was a duelist who wanted to duel him for the enjoyment, and not for what his title was. If she knew who he was, it didn't matter to her at all. And yet still, there was one other reason.

"Okay, now that we've gotten that under wraps I can do like I did last turn and set a monster and a magic or trap card. That gives me two monsters and two set cards. See if you can get past them would you? This duel is only gonna be fun if you can manage that." With a confident smile she ended her turn, giving control over to Dalin. Now she was left with two cards in her hand, and unknown cards on the field. Dalin smiled and drew his next card, giving him five.

The angel duelist looked at his next card and then added it to his hand. Then he selected a different card and pulled it free. Finally he placed it onto his DD2 next to Uranus, and watched as the monster appeared. "Hysteric Angel(1800/500) in attack mode." She took her spot next to Uranus, scoffing at his long unkempt hair. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and purposefully looked away from him.

"I'll have my Uranus attack your Rose Sprout!" Once again the angel raised his hand to launch his attack, sending the wave of sound at the defensive sprout. However, Rose was grinning as the attack was approaching, and Dalin was certain that a trap was about to be sprung. He was in fact, right as usual.

"Activate trap card, Thorn Barrier! This will trap your two monsters and stop their effects, dealing fifty damage to you times their total levels!" A bed of thorns lept up, and tangled itself around Uranus and Hysteric Angel. They gasped in pain as the thorns dug in, but after a little while they stopped struggling, holding still so no thorns dug further into them. The power of her trap could have been negated by his Hysteric Angel's effect, but now it was locked away. (DLP: 3600)

"Very well then, since my monsters are sealed by the power of your Thorn Barrier I'll have to end my turn by setting one card down on the field." His next card appeared on the field right next to his previous set monster. He kept his face clear, but inside he was impressed more and more. Though the moves might seem basic to another, he knew true skill when he saw it. She was using Thorn Barrier as a replacement to dealing battle damage. Her strategy to trap his monsters and deal damage while she upgraded her creatures was a good one.

"Well then sugar, I'll do like I did last turn, only this time I'm sacrificing my Rose Sprout to summon a Rose Bud(1400/1400) in attack mode. Of course, that's not all I'll be doing, but I just want you to enjoy the looks of my new monsters for a few moments." Her newest monster was no longer at all a seed. Instead it was now a little red blossom, not yet opened up. The potential beauty it held was what told Dalin what he needed to know about his opponent. She was ready to bloom and unleash her true power at the right moment.

"Savor your time before I go on the offensive sugar. I'll set a card face down and pass the turn back to you." Kai quirked an eyebrow and looked between the two duelists and the cards they had played. He wasn't sure exactly what to call Rose's deck, but by her name and her choice of cards he could guess that it was a Rose Deck. He smiled at the little bit of inside knowledge that he had, knowledge that Dalin didn't have. He hadn't known about the actual deck, but he had heard rumors in some lesser dueling circles of a deadly duelist they called the Duelist of the Roses. This must be her.

"There resides in my deck a creature that I require to put down your plants. In order to do so I will have to get that monster, but the chances of my drawing it are far too slim to base everything on that. Therefore I will activate the magic card, Card in Hand, placing one monster from my deck into my hand at no cost." In one swift motion he pulled his deck free of the holder and then fanned it out like it was a single hand of cards. Only an expert player could do something like that, and he was definitely an expert. With the practiced manner of an expert he found the card he wanted and added it to his hand. Then he folded his cards back up and shuffled them before sliding them back into place.

"Well that move looks fun and all, but you can't forget the power of my Thorn Barrier. Now it's gonna drain you of four hundred more life points, putting you at an eight hundred point disadvantage." His two monsters cried out in pain as the thorns dug into their flesh, dragging out little trickles of blood. Dalin's face remained a blank mask as his monsters cried out in pain, and whether it was because he didn't care or because the damage was merely superficial Kai couldn't tell. There was never any way to read Dalin. (DLP: 3200)

"I summon Warrior of Zera(1600/1600) in attack mode. Then I'll use it as a sacrifice to special summon Archangel Zerato(2800/2300) to the field. With the power of this monster, so long as Sanctuary of the Sky is in play, I can cleanse the field of your weeds by discarding a light type from my hand. Now, Zerato, use your Angelic Wrath!" The might masked angel took its place on the field and raised its blade high above its hade. The sharpened sword started to glow with an intense inner light as Dalin moved to use its effect and destroy Rose's monsters.

"Not so fast sugar! I'll reveal my trap card, Paralyzing Thornet! This little poisonous thornet will seal the attack and the effect of your Zerato, keeping him from doing any of that so-called weeding." A tiny little dart shot straight out of her revealed trap card, and went at Zerato. The angel grimaced as the dart slammed into his throat, injecting its toxins into his blood stream. Despite his divine resistance, even Zerato was unable to beat back the deadly effects of the poison, and he slumped forwards.

Dalin smiled slightly, and she flashed him her own smile right back. Kai was really starting to be impressed by the level of play between these two. She wasn't playing fast or anything, her moves were actually very conservative. But the power of her deck and her patience were paying off. It was like she had planned every move ahead of time....just like Dalin. "Its like watching a chess game between champions. Each piece is placed strategically. But how is a no-name duelist so good?"

"You certainly are quite a duelist. Which makes me wonder exactly why we've come to this place, this time, this duel. Even if you aren't ready for answers, know that I'll still be waiting for them. End turn!" Kai gave Dalin a confused glance, but the older duelist didn't acknowledge it. Rose on the other hand had quickly stifled her surprise, and was now once again amused with the duel, ready to take action. She drew her card, and the duel was back on.

"You ready sugar pie? Mind if I call you that? Well, I sacrifice my Rose Bud to special summon Rose in Bloom(2200/2200) in its place. This beautiful flower has plenty of power to back it up, and it will show you just how to do it. So here she comes!" Now flowering on her field was a full-fledged rose in all its glory. Large spread petals of a crimson color and a green stem with wicked looking thorns. The thorns moved about a little, and Dalin spotted little eyes at the tips. The eyes closed up, and now it was just a giant rose.

"I flip my face down monster, Seed of the Death Plant(700/300)! Consider this the plant version of the Man-Eater Bug, and I'll use its effect to destroy your Archangel Zerato! Say goodbye to the strongest monster you've got!" Her monster was a little jet black seed, and it shot a tendril of energy right at the archangel. It pierced through the angelic warrior and shattered him into holographic fragments, taking away the best chance Dalin might have had at holding the advantage. Now he didn't even have a potentially deadly monster in play.

"Now I can implant my Seed into Rose in Bloom in order to kill it. And since I've just killed the right levels of monster with my Seed of the Death Plant I can special summon the full thing from my deck. I summon the Death Plant(2700/2700)!" The little black seed shot into the rose, and then the rose withered into dust. Finally rising up from the ashes of the fallen plant was a giant plant with tendrils with thorns on them. At the end of each of the tendrils there was a slobbering mouth with nasty point teeth. A powerful monster to say the least, but nothing against his angels.

"Regardless of the attack power of your newest creature it will do you no good. The power of my Sanctuary of the Sky will prevent my angels from taking battle damage. Your monster is just a useless space on your field." Kai grinned, practically cheering for the muscular duelist. He wasn't King of Games for nothing, and that kind of power was what kept him in that spot. There was no way that Rose was going to be able to get past that incredible barrier.

"You let me worry about that sugar. See, first I activate Demon Triple Mirror, and it'll make copies of my Death Plant equal to the number of monsters on your field. So now I've got a total of three of my little devils!" The image of the Death Plant flickered as it split itself, becoming not two, but three. One quick move that had given her three powerful monsters, each of which was useless against the angels. Kai knew that card, and knew that these new Death Plants couldn't even attack this turn.

"I play Rose Storm, which will destroy all set magic and trap cards on the field. It won't get rid of that pesky Sanctuary of the Sky, but it will get rid of any potential traps you might have waiting for me. There they all go!" A flurry of rose petals whipped around the field, picking up all the set cards that were there. The shrieking of the wind could have told anyone what was happening as the cards were picked up and thrown into the air, then shattered.

"Since my two Death Plants can't attack this turn anyways, I'll use one of their special attacks. By giving up their attack this turn I can destroy one monster on the field, so for the two I give up I can destroy both of your monsters!" The mouths on the plants expanded, and in a swift motion the deadly plants devoured Dalin's two angels, clearing his field of any sort of defense. Now all that was left was his Sanctuary of the Sky and the two cards in his hand.

"My remaining Death Plant will attack you directly!" A single mouthed tendril on the remaining Death Plant rose up and shot across the field, right at the awaiting duelist. The angel duelist didn't bother to defend himself and simply let the head strike him, clamping down on his shoulder. His teeth clenched, but he didn't make any other response. The massive power of the Death Plant took its toll though and depleted his life points, giving him hardly any left at all. (DLP: 500)

"I will begin my turn by activating the magic of Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck giving me a total of four cards. Now I continue my turn by summoning Pluto, Angel of Weakening(1500/0)!" Shortly after Dalin slipped the two cards off his deck he summoned his monster, another angel with interesting features. Pluto was a yellow skinned angel with glowing green eyes and short-cropped black hair. An odd combination. Pluto wasn't exactly a mighty creature either with only fifteen hundred attack points.

"I set two cards face down. Now I have Pluto attack the original Death Plant!" Rose bit back a protest as it wouldn't accomplish anything. Kai didn't understand the move either, but knew that Dalin would take no damage since his Sanctuary of the Sky was in play. Pluto spread out its arms and sent a wave of orange light washing over the vicious plant, soothing it slightly. Then, to his surprise, the Death Plant started to shrink until the counter displayed a far less deadly number.

"That's right, whenever Pluto is engaged in battle, the opposing monster loses points from its dominant stat equal to the current attack power of Pluto. Therefore your Death Plant is reduced to a weak twelve hundred attack! That's all." Despite the weakness of her plant, she was still confident. Kai knew why that was, and he didn't understand why Dalin had made the attack if he knew. By not attacking with one of the Death Plants, Rose would be able to destroy Pluto and clear a path. Dalin had to have a plan, there was no other explanation.

"Hmmm....you could be roping me into a trap, or you could be bluffing me. After all, you know I can destroy your monster. Well, we'll just have to test it all out won't we? Death Plant the second, activate your....huh?" Her move was cut off when Dalin made a motion on his duel disk, activating one of his set cards. The set card on the left flipped up, revealing an image that Kai recognized from his own duel with Dalin. But it didn't quite explain what the other duelist was up to.

"I reveal Rise to Heaven which will remove Pluto from the game until the end of my next turn. At the same time it will increase my life points by the total attack strength of my monster, setting me at half of my original life points!" A blue light surrounded the angel, and then in less time then it takes to sneeze, Pluto was nowhere to be seen. The only reminder that he had been on the field was the sound of Dalin's life point counter ticking upwards. (DLP: 2000)

"I see, you're trying to keep your life points around so that next turn you can perhaps trash more of my Death Plants. That means your set card is another card for increasing your life points. Well, increase all you like because it won't help. All my Death Plants will attack you directly!" The monstrous plants sent their fanged tentacles straight at the angel duelist who didn't even bother to look afraid. Whether they would impact or not was something they were about to find out.

"You've fallen into a trap of your own creation. By attacking me directly you've allowed me to activate Heaven's Judgement, which will remove all of your attack mode monsters from the game!" A blaze of light shot down from the sky, lighting up the entire park. The three duelists shielded their eyes as the light consumed Rose's three monsters, making them nothing more then a simple memory. When the light had faded and they could once again see, all that was left on the field was a dozen or more blue and purple spots....but those were just products of distorted vision.

"You're certainly a clever one aren't you? Fine then sugar, I play Thorny Grave Vine, letting me activate your Pot of Greed for my own use. Now, with these two new cards I can make a new move. I place one card face down and summon Mimic Thorn(0/0) which can become the strongest monster in my cemetery. Therefore it becomes Rose in Bloom!" A twisted looking thorn appeared on the field, only to shift and become the mighty rose that had appeared earlier. With it came a set card to the right side.

"Rose, this duel's victory will be mine. However, for the moment I can merely defend. I place one monster face down and end my turn, thereby restoring Pluto, Angel of Weakening!" His set card took shape, and then Pluto came back to the field in all its lack of glory. Then Dalin's turn was finished, and Kai was left to contemplate what was going on. As far as he could see, Dalin had attacked with Pluto and then removed it in order to convince Rose that he just intended to keep using Pluto and raising his life points so he could survive and destroy her plants. Rose had fallen for it and uncovered Dalin's real trap which allowed Dalin to keep his own angel and removed the deadly plants from the game. A brilliant move.

"No matter what you say, it's still useless. My plants will cut you to ribbons. I set one card face down. Now, Rose in Bloom, attack his set monster to reveal it to me!" The plant shot a group of thorny tendrils at the set monster, only to have them bounce off a set of metallic angel wings. Kai gasped as he saw the muscular angel appear, and saw its massive defensive power. It didn't make any sense that it was that powerful of a defense for no sacrifice. (RLP: 2700)

"You've attacked my Guardian Angel(0/2000) who when attacked while face down gains a bonus of five hundred points for every angel in my cemetery. That means when you attacked it, my angel had a defense strength of thirty-five hundred!" Kai grinned at the score shift and the impressive form of defense that Dalin had going on. He now recognized the name Guardian Angel, and remembered the rest of its effect. It had to be attacked first while more than one angel was on the field. It made a perfect defense in an angel deck.

"Well then, I guess I'll just set a monster in defense mode. Now it's your turn sugar. You can crush me if you like....that is, if you think you can manage it." Her saucy grin would have melted most men right out of their shoes. Dalin didn't even blink. Kai himself thought she was overdoing it a bit, but then again he couldn't say he had much experience with women to base that off of. Hence why he had once avoided Drake's questioning about his.....experience.

"Very well, I set one card face down, and then I'll have Pluto attack Rose in Bloom." Pluto unleashed his waves of orange light, thereby weakening Rose in Bloom to a meager seven hundred attack points. With that out of the way there was nothing left for Dalin to do but end his turn, transferring control of the field to Rose. Now the Duelist of the Roses was about to make her move.

Rose drew her next card, and then looked at her field for a moment. Finally she brought her gaze back up to Dalin, and she smiled very lightly before starting her move for real. "I don't know what made you become an angel duelist, but I do know what made me become who I am as a duelist. The Duelist of the Roses. See, when I was a child I had a rather stressful and not necessarily happy time. So I had to find something to make everything better."

Kai watched her as she spoke, and saw the hidden pain in her eyes. A pain he knew Dalin could see as well. It was as real as any pain Kai had ever experienced, as real as any he had ever heard of. He and Dalin both wondered what pain it was that this woman truly felt. "To keep sane I found refuge in my little garden. They all started as seedlings, and I found that with nourishment and care, neither of which I got, I could turn those little seeds into wondrous flowers. Once I got out on my own I found lots of ways to survive, and at one point I discovered Duel Monsters."

She took a deep breath and let it out, refocusing herself before she continued speaking. "My first duels in the underground circuits were pretty pathetic, but people started spreading rumors about a gorgeous duelist who fought with great ferocity. One day a man in a suit found me after a local circuit and handed me a letter of invitation. It was from Pegasus J. Crawford himself, the creator of the game. I accepted the invitation and was ferried by boat to his private island. Of course this was before he had named it Duelist Kingdom. He offered me a tidy sum if I would pose for a portrait. Nothing sexual, just a simple portrait. He said it was because he appreciated beauty in all forms, and wanted to capture an image of the woman who was said to be the most beautiful duelist in the world. I was flattered of course, and I accepted."

Kai could barely mask the surprise he felt at learning that this supposed no-name duelist had ties to the game's creator. Few duelists actually had any connection to him at all. The few he could think of were the finalists of Duelist Kingdom, Seto Kaiba, Keith Howard, and a few other duelists that Pegasus had beaten in matches.

"While there he showed me a few of the finer points of the game, and he showed me what were called the Super Expert Rules. He said that after a tournament he was just beginning to organize, he would introduce the rules. Of course, those rules are the ones Battle City was run by. Pegasus was impressed by me and how quickly I picked up rules, so he decided to do me a favor. He created me a deck of cards to fit my personality, and that's the deck I now play with. The one and only Rose Deck in the world." Dalin was impressed by this fact. Not only had she met and impressed Pegasus, but he had also created a unique deck just for her. He couldn't think of anyone else who had ever gotten such a privilege.

"One thing he gave me for my deck was a wonderful plant of most devastating proportions. It was released to the public, but only a relatively small number were actually created and distributed. I just so happen to have one thanks to him. The first ever to be given to a duelist. So here it is, the mighty Fiber Jar(500/500)!" Kai gasped as the effect of the plant was activated. Upon being flipped both duelists shuffled the cards from their cemeteries, fields, and hands back into their decks and drew five new cards. Of course, the card that had been placed in Dalin's deck wouldn't have returned to Rose's deck.

"Now that things have been done up so much, I'll summon Killer Thorn(1600/1000), whose effect lets me draw one card when he's normal summoned. Killer Thorn, direct attack!" The creature that was summoned was a plant much like a cactus with needles sticking out of its body all over the place. It turned towards Dalin and launched a barrage of those needles straight at him. With a casual swipe of his massive arm he knocked the needles out of the air. They bounced against the ground and then vanished. Finally she placed two cards down on the field and declared the end of her turn. (DLP: 400)

Despite how behind he was, Dalin didn't seem concerned at all. He merely drew his next card, and then activated it. "Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Hmmm, I think I'll play Shower of Light. For every light monster I discard, I gain six hundred life points. So I discard three light types." He shoved the three cards into his cemetery and a sprinkling of rain that looked like pure light came down on him, soothing him and restoring his life points. (DLP: 2200)

Kai grinned at seeing Dalin get back into the game, and he started to realize something. If Dalin had discarded three light types, and he seemed confident about something, perhaps Kai knew what his plan is. "It all depends on if he plays the next card that I think he will. If he does, then he's got this duel in the bag. He'll be easily able to turn the tide."

"I play Renewal of Triplets. This magic card will revive any three monsters in the cemetery that are of the same name. Therefore I shall revive three Holy Shine Spheres(500/500) in attack mode!" Three identical silver spheres floated into view, and though weak Kai knew what was about to happen. Dalin was going to take this duel by storm!

"Next I activate Polymerization to fuse my three spheres into the more powerful Holy Shine God(1800/1800), whose effect will instantly obliterate your face down cards." The three monsters merged into one, the glowing being of light that had been the cause of Kai's defeat and would now allow Dalin the same luxury against Rose.

"Finally I set up one card and have Holy Shine God destroy Killer Thorn." His face down card appeared, followed by his fusion monster launching its attack of pure light upon the plant creature, burning it away and also a small part of Rose's life points. That evened things up a bit, putting the difference in life points at only three hundred. (RLP: 2500)

Rose added yet another card to her hand, and then surveyed the set of four she had. A little smile appeared on her lips, and she started to make her move. "Looks like my strategy is almost ready. Till it's completed, I guess all I can do is set a monster and one card face down. Back to you sugar." Dalin quirked an eyebrow, wondering exactly what strategy she was referring to. She had only two cards on the field and two in her hand, so how much of a strategy could she have prepared?

He glanced at the single card in his hand, and then instantly slapped it onto the field. It rose up in front of him as a blue skinned angel with darker blue wings and a loose golden robe. "Meet Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0). His effect can't help me right now, but his attack power is more than enough to obliterate whatever monster you have placed on the field. Go Neptune, destroy her monster!" The angel raised one hand and aimed it like a gun, before firing a tight beam of blue energy out of it. The beam exploded on Rose's monster, vaporizing it.

"You took down my Bright Lady Lily(900/1500), who when flipped allows both of us to special summon a monster from our deck, regardless of normal costs for that creature. Of course it also immediately ends your battle phase since neither summoned monster can attack this turn. So sugar, meet my Death Plant(2700/2700) once again!" The nasty plant took it's place on the field, towering far above both of Dalin's monsters. He grimaced and flipped through his deck before finally settling on a card he wanted.

"Using the effect of Bright Lady Lily I will summon Archangel Zerato(2800/2300) back to the field. Now my monster dominates the field with it's awesome power of twenty-eight hundred attack! Until I can attack, I'll move my Holy Shine God into defense mode, and end my turn." The being of light shifted into defense mode, and then Dalin's turn was over. Rose then drew her next card, starting off her own turn.

"Well now, isn't this interesting. But oh well, I suppose for the moment I'll give up Death Plant's battle phase to destroy Neptune. Then I'll set a monster in defense mode, and end. Go ahead sugar, show me what you can do." Dalin nodded once, and then pulled his next card off the top of his deck. He stopped after doing so, seeing the card that was next. He stopped because he knew what the card was, because it was face up. It was the card that Rose had placed in his deck in the first turn using Devil's Snare.

"I see. Very well, I'll begin by playing Stealing Goblin, which will take five hundred of your life points and add them to my own. Go Stealing Goblin, do my dirty work!" A fat goblin appeared on the field with a cart, and charged towards Rose, slamming into her and stealing away some of her life points. Then he rushed back to Dalin, and offered those same life points to the angel duelist, who gladly accepted them. (RLP: 2000, DLP: 2700)

"Now I move Holy Shine God into attack mode, and have him destroy your set monster." The angel attacked the set creature, flipping it up and turning it into mush. Or rather, it turned out that it was practically mush all on it's own. It was a disgusting creature that seemed to be composed of rotted pieces of other plants.

"Sometimes plants don't turn up right, sometimes they die and rot away. So they have to be put aside, and they become this little creature. The Rotted Beast(1000/1000) who when flipped makes us both draw two cards. And since the next card on your deck is the card I placed there, you take one thousand points of damage!" Dalin grimaced slightly as both drew their cards, and he was forced to take a good deal of damage from the effect. (DLP: 1700)

"The damage was one thing, but that doesn't matter to me at all, as I can deal with it right now with this magic card. Poison of the Old Man! Using it's power I'll restore twelve hundred of my life points, meaning I restore more than your Devil's Snare did to me in damage." An elderly man shimmered into view and handed Dalin a purple vial, which Dalin downed quickly, using it's effect to boost his life points. (DLP: 2900)

"Now, Zerato will attack and destroy your Death Plant, further reducing your life points by one hundred. Angelic Slash!" The armored angel flapped his wings and flew towards the towering voracious plant, but was suddenly stopped as Rose's set card flipped up, and a little seed flew out and was split in half by the sword slash instead of the Death Plant.

"My trap card Rose Wheel allowed me to throw a monster with 'rose' in it's name into the path of your attack straight from my deck. So I defended with a Rose Seedling. Luckily for you it was in face-up defense mode, so it's flip effect didn't activate and grant me another monster. Oh well. Looks like your turn is over....unless of course you want to play that card of mine. Well?" Dalin glanced down at the card and then smiled slightly before shaking his head.

"I don't believe such a thing is necessary. And yes, my turn is over now that I have no other cards I'm going to play. Make your turn useful, or else in the next turn I'll cut you down and win this duel. We're reaching the home stretch of this duel, don't you agree?" She smirked slightly and drew her next card, giving her a total of five cards in hand, much more than Dalin's one card.

"I'd say you're right sugar, this is about the end. Because now is the moment when my entire strategy comes together, and it all hinges around that card in your hand. In order to get access to it, I'll play the magic card Held In One's Hand. If I know the name of a card in your hand, I can force you to play it. And since the card in your hand is the card I put there, I know what it is. So go ahead and play it." Dalin grimaced and took the card out of his left hand with his right, and then extended it outwards. It was facing down, so Kai couldn't see what it was.

"So be it Rose. I was hoping it wouldn't come down to this. I knew even from the beginning why you were here, but because of the way you had been playing I had thought you didn't want to. I had prayed I was wrong about you. But I wasn't, you are here to test me. But in the end it will be you who pays the price of this mistake, the mistake of making me use this power. I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!" Kai's eyes went wide as Dalin slapped the card down into his field card zone.

Dark energy flared up around the muscular duelist, and a grin circle appeared beneath his feet, before shooting out and encompassing him and Rose. Kai was struck by the expanding circle and hurled several feet away and onto his back. He gulped and looked up, seeing the fierce look on Dalin's face as he stared down Rose. A fierce look accompanied by the Seal of Orichalcos that appeared on his forehead and that of each of his monsters. "You shouldn't have given me this power, because now my monsters are strong enough to easily crush each and every one of yours! You're nothing compared to my new strength!"

"Is that so sugar? I don't think so. See, there are plenty of monsters who can gain dark power. But of all the angels that exist, only angels that aren't heavenly can gain dark power. Heavenly angels, that is light type ones, can't. If they do, they become fallen angels, or demons. And they are then cast from heaven, falling straight to Hell. And since your monsters are ALL heavenly angels, granting them dark power doesn't strength them....it kills them!" Dalin's fists squeezed tight together as his monster's cried out in pain, and were consumed by the darkness, vanishing from the field.

"So that was your plan was it? To turn all my angels into fallen ones and strip them of their seats in heaven? To destroy them all and prevent me from summoning any monsters to attack you with? How pathetic. Attack me all you wish, it won't do you any good. I'll still crush you." Rose just smiled before slapping down another monster onto her monster zone.

"We'll see about that. I summon Sunflower Lady(1300/1000) and then pay five hundred life points to allow me to special summon the other two from my deck to the field." Rose's next monster was a green skinned woman in a flowing yellow dress. She also wore a bonnet very similar to the yellow leaves of a sunflower. It was accompanied by two other identical women. (RLP: 1500)

"Death Plant, attack him directly!" The disgusting plant beast extended its mouths at Dalin, who just smirked widely and flipped up his face down card. A shield appeared in his hand, and he used it to block the strike. Suddenly energy surged around the shield, and flowed straight from it to Dalin. After several seconds of this he shoved the mouth backwards, sending it careening into the actual Death Plant, which was forced back a few feet by his strength.

"I told you that your attacks meant nothing to me. My Drain Shield trap card allows me to negate your attack and increase my life points by the amount of power your monster had. Therefore my life points will shoot straight past their starting amount and leave yours in the dust!" (DLP: 5600)

"You may have stopped that one attack, but you won't stop these next three. Sunflower Ladies, attack him directly and take down most of his life points!" The three women extended their arms and shot vines at the angel duelist. He grinned widely and gripped their vines, stopping them from striking his body. Then he tossed the vines aside, thereby stopping himself from taking any physical damage from the attack. But his life points still took a hit. Now only two hundred life points separated the two duelists. (DLP: 1700)

"Go ahead and draw, but it won't matter what you get. If it's a trap, it'll only save you once, if it's magic, it'll barely help, and if it's a monster....well then you're out of hope. This duel has become impossible to win for you sugar, so take that to heart. It's utterly impossible!" The look of fury on Rose's face seemed truly out of place, enough so that Kai was shocked by it. Dalin merely smirked in that same uncharacteristic manner for him.

"I'll let you know now, that when I'm involved, the word impossible has no meaning. I can defeat any opponent! And I've discovered the flaw in your plan that will allow me to win the duel, so now I draw!" He snapped the top card off his deck, and dark power flared up around him. He glanced once at the card before slapping it onto the field. A brown backed card appeared horizontally in front of him.

"The problem with your strategy is that the Seal of Orichalcos operates just like any other field card. It only affects face up monsters. Therefore a set monster won't gain dark power, so even a heavenly angel won't be destroyed by it while face down. Not only that, but your pathetic Death Plant can't destroy a face-down monster with it's effect either. So go ahead and attack my monster if you dare, but for now my turn is over." Kai was impressed by Dalin's deductions, so quickly figuring out a way around the problem. But still, he didn't see how one monster was going to save him when he only had seventeen hundred life points remaining.

Rose glanced at her newest card after drawing and let out a small sigh, obviously upset with what she had drawn. "Well that's no help at all. So I'll activate my placed Card Destruction to dump this hand and gain a new one." She snapped the cards together and shoved them into the cemetery slot before sliding three new cards off the top of her deck, giving her new options to work with.

"No monsters that I can play, and not much to help. I guess I'll be stuck playing this card, Last Gasp. I discard my entire hand and then I get to shuffle all the monsters in my cemetery back into my deck." She discarded her present hand, and then ejected her cemetery and searched through it for each of her monsters. Finally she took Killer Thorn, Bright Lady Lily, and Rotted Beast and tucked them safely away in her deck before shuffling it.

"Now when you mentioned my Death Plant's effect not working on face-down monsters, you were right. But you missed one thing, my Death Plant's second effect! Whenever it destroys a monster in battle you lose five hundred life points. So Death Plant will crush your defense monster!" The creature extended two of it's mouths and ripped apart Dalin's set monster, which was briefly revealed to be a flat little squirrel like creature that resembled a Sugar Glider.

"You destroyed my Nimble Momonga(1000/100), and therefore activated it's special ability. I gain one thousand life points, but lose five hundred from Death Plant's effect. Then I get to special summon two more from my deck in face-down defense mode. So here they come!" He ejected the two cards from his deck and slapped them onto the field, giving him further defenses to work with. Also, his life points altered according to the two monster's effects. (DLP: 2200)

"Alright sugar, I'll take down your two little squirrels with two of my Sunflower Ladies, unfortunately that will increase your life points by a further two thousand." The two ladies shot their vines out, crushing the defensive momongas. They hadn't been any challenge to the stronger plant monsters. (DLP: 4200)

"The last Sunflower Lady will attack you directly!" Dalin smirked as the vines zipped towards him. Only this time instead of defending himself from them, he allowed the vines to smash against his chest. He didn't even budge, he merely threw back his head and laughed. (DLP: 2900)

"Your little lady is nothing to me. And now that you're turn is over, I'll get things started with this next card. Remove Heart! Since my Archangel Zerato is pretty worthless as it is, as are the rest of my angels, I think I'll remove it from the game in order to draw cards equal to half it's total levels. That means I get to draw four cards." He slipped the named angel out of his cemetery and into his pocket, and then pulled free four new cards to give him the hand advantage.

"Not so fast big fella. Activate Power Balance, which will even things up between the two of us by forcing you to discard half your hand and letting me draw the same amount." Dalin shrugged and parted with two of his four cards. Then Rose drew two new cards of her own, evening her up with her opponent. Despite having lost half the cards he had gained, Dalin hardly seemed bothered by this. In fact, he seemed slightly amused.

"I don't really need four cards for this. So I'll just set a monster and one card face down. Back to your Rosey." His two cards took shape in front of him, giving him very little defense against Rose's army of plant monsters. Particularly her Death Plant, which would deal damage even though Dalin's monster was in defense mode. Kai couldn't think of any way Dalin could escape, and this was the King of Duelists he was talking about!

Rose glanced at her newest card, smiling brightly at the sight of it. Then she slapped it down, revealing a mask formed of intertwining vines. "My next monster is Flower Mask(500/500) which will attach to one of my weaker plants and create a copy of it. That means Flower Mask will attach to Sunflower Lady and clone me a fourth one." The mask did just as she had said, attaching to one of the green skinned women, and then parting to form itself into another version, all it's vines combining together to take that new shape with identical stats and all.

"I'll set up two cards, and then I attack your defense monster with Death Plant. Devour it!" Dalin smirked and flipped up his set card immediately, and a line of red light suddenly halted the Death Plant, going between it and Dalin. The angel duelist smirked as his trap fully came into view. It was his Energy Absorption trap, which negated battle, ended the battle phase, and increased his life points by half the attacking monster's strength.

"Your trap card won't do you any good sugar! Activate quick-play card, Petal Blast to deactivate your Energy Absorption!" One of her two new cards flipped up, and a barrage of rose petals shot out of it, spraying across Dalin. As they did so the line of red light faded, and Death Plant's mouths ripped Dalin's set monster apart, briefly revealing a man in brown robes with tiny wings.

"That was my Ascending Man(500/1200) who grants me five hundred life points when destroyed and allows me to specially set or summon another from my deck. So damage evened out, and I get another one to block the path of your attacks." Rose cried out in anger and pointed one finger straight at Dalin, an awful look in her eyes.

"You and your angels! You think you're pure enough to use angels, but I know the truth, that's why I've turned them against you like this! No man is worthy of using angels, and because of that I'm going to make sure no man ever gets to meet any! When I defeat you in this duel your soul will be trapped away, preventing your soul from ever reaching salvation! Now, Sunflower Ladies, destroy him!" That was the beginning of the assault.

Four sets of vines exploded out of the fingers of the four Sunflower Ladies, heading straight towards the muscular duelist. The first two ripped apart consecutive Ascending Men, however the next two had nothing in their path, and collided with Dalin head on. Once again he didn't flinch away from the attacks, and didn't seem hurt by them at all. (DLP: 1300)

"I don't know what happened to you in the past and why it has made you scorn men in such a manner that you'd strip random men of their souls, but right now that doesn't matter. I'm going to win this duel, and that is all there is to it. I refuse to be defeated to someone who can't take their life into their own hands! I see you standing there, relying on the words of others to make you do things. Whatever happened to you in the past only affects you because you allow it to, and I won't accept being defeated by someone who doesn't even control themself." With that said, he drew his next card and then played it.

From Kai's perspective it didn't seem that what Rose was doing was that...but perhaps Dalin knew something he didn't. Or maybe Dalin was just making a judgement that he had no right to make. "I don't like this at all. It doesn't seem like Rose deserves to lose her soul, she seems to have suffered a lot in life. But if Dalin loses, then the world loses one if it's big guns in this fight. We can't afford to lose him....but with the way he is right now, how would winning be any different than losing?"

"It's time to show you what Ascending Man can become with a little time and effort. The level up from it, the fruit of all his labors come to pass! I summon Ascended Man(1200/500) to the field in attack mode!" The monster that appeared on the field was completely identical to the Ascending Men, however this one had full wings that extended back about five feet. As the duelists watched the Seal of Orichalcos appeared on it's head, and it screamed as it shattered into thousands of pieces.

"Now watch as the power of Ascended Man comes into play. I get to draw one card, and then I get to special summon another Ascended Man to the field. And of course the second dies as well, giving me a second card, and the third then dies, giving me a third card. All it required was for me to rid myself of three monsters and now I have three cards that can actually help me." He fanned the three cards out in front of his face and surveyed his new options, deciding exactly what to do. He slipped two cards into his duel disk, and finished his turn.

"I'm going to set a card down now Dalin, and then I'm going to attack with Death Plant!" The deadly plant creature barely got going before it's attack was forcefully halted by a stream of light that exploded from the ground in it's path. She gasped as her Death Plant was forced to return to it's starting point, keeping her from continuing her battle phase.

"Remember Power Balance? Well you forced me to discard this magic card when you did so. Sanctity of the Buried! It can only be played from the cemetery, and it allows me to negate your attack and end the battle phase. All it requires is that I remove five cards from my cemetery." He casually selected five of his cards and then shoved them into his back pocket, leaving him with fewer cards in the cemetery.

"But that's not all! I activate Restoration Light, which is a permanent trap that will increase my life points by four hundred every time a light type monster leaves my cemetery in some manner. And since I just removed five light type monsters from my cemetery, I get to increase my life points by two thousand!" Five bubbles of light rose up from the ground and floated over to Dalin, in order to be absorbed into his body to grant him more strength. (DLP: 3300)

"Think that's going to help you big guy? I play Super Fertilizer. All I have to do is sacrifice a plant monster, in this case my Flower Mask in form of a Sunflower Lady, and then I get to grant one of my other plants a new battle phase. So now Death Plant will attack again by devouring Flower Mask!" One of the plant's mouths snapped out, ripping into the Sunflower Lady, transforming it back into it's regular shape before devouring it whole. Once again renewed it struck out, biting down on Dalin's shoulder as quickly as it could. The big man cried out in pain, and collapsed to his knees, blood dripping down his shoulder. (DLP: 600)

Since Rose had no more cards in her hand, it was now time for Dalin to take his turn, and since he had no cards in his hand and the only cards on his field were Restoration Light and a face down card, he was definitely in a bad position. Unless he got a good draw, he was utterly finished. Still confident, he drew his card.

"I'll play yet another card to pump up my life points. Angel Glow, which will grant me one thousand life points, setting me at sixteen hundred. And who knows what awaits you with my other cards, soon you're going to lose this duel, and then I'll be on my way to finish this threat once and for all!" His grin was wiped from his face as instead of raising, his life points suddenly plummeted. He was left with barely any life points to work with. (DLP: 100)

"What was that about raising your life points? I was too busy activating my Negative Drought trap card to hear you." Dalin grimaced as he heard the name of her card. He recognized Negative Drought, it was a one time trap that negated an instance of raising life points and instead reduced that player's life points by half the amount that would have been gained. He had just drained most of his own life points away, and now all he had was one set card on the field to keep him safe.

Seeing as how Dalin had no leg to stand on and no move left to make, it became Rose's turn, just in the same way Dalin had taken over before. She quickly played her monster onto her one remaining monster zone, revealing an attractive woman whose body was covered by palmetto leaves, and she was holding what looked like a blade formed out of palmetto leaves with a serrated edge. "I summon Palmetto Girl(1100/2000), whose effect lets you draw one card, and me draw three." The two duelists drew their new cards, giving them new options. Of course Rose was the one who truly benefited, what with her having drawn three cards to his one.

"You didn't use that set card of yours before, but back then you had that Sanctity of the Buried to protect you. So in order to rid myself of the threat of that face down card, I'll go weeding with my magic card. Mystical Space Typhoon!" A minitature hurricane was brewed up by her magic card, and it shattered Dalin's set card, briefly revealing a Light Barrier magic card which would have prevented her from completing attacks on him for a whole turn.

Kai couldn't believe what he was seeing. This Rose girl had just blown away the last chance for Dalin staying alive in this duel, and now she had five monsters staring down his completely empty field. And without Sanctity of the Buried in the cemetery, Dalin couldn't negate the attack in that manner. He was going to lose...and that meant his soul would be lost as well. "Dalin....no...."

"Ready sugar? This is the end of your life, and more women will be safe because of it. So say goodbye to your last life points and your very soul, because you're about to feel the forces of seventy-seven hundred attack points, way more than enough to defeat you! Now my plants, exterminate Dalin Imaki Sumatin, strip him of his life and soul once and for all! ATTACK HIM DIRECTLY!" The five sets of monsters launched their attacks directly at Dalin, and there was nothing between them and his life points. The duel was about to end.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Ha! Cliff hanger! How can Dalin get out of this mess, is he finished or what? You'll just have to keep reading to find out. And what of everyone else? What are they up to? More on that next chapter as well.

G.O.T. Nick: Lol. No need to be concerned.

VoidTemplar: I try to make things a surprise.

Time Mage: Hehehehe. Wait and see. As for Mirage Magic, as you see in this chapter Rise to Heaven is stronger, so need for it with him.

WolfGeneral: I seriously enjoyed writing the thing about Cat-Eared Dragon. Glad you liked.

Blue Eyes White Knight: Course he lost. Kai is a main character and Kevin wasn't. That's how these things work. Sorry.

Original Cards

Rose: Devil's Snare, Rose Seed, Rose Seedling, Rose Sprout, Thorn Barrier, Rode Bud, Paralyzing Thornet, Rose in Bloom, Seed of the Death Plant, Death Plant, Rose Storm, Thorny Grave Vine, Mimic Thorn, Petal Shield, Killer Thorn, Bright Lady Lily, Rotted Beast, Rose Wheel, Sunflower Lady, Last Gasp, Flower Mask, Petal Blast, Super Fertilizer, Negative Drought, Palmetto Girl (wow....she uses a lot of original cards doesn't she? It'd be easier just to name which cards weren't original cards.)

Dalin: Uranus-Angel of Good Will, Card in Hand, Pluto-Angel of Weakening, Rise to Heaven, Heaven's Judgement, Guardian Angel, Shower of Light, Renewal of Triplets, Holy Shine God, Neptune-Angel of Emancipation, Remove Heart, Ascending Man, Ascended Man, Restoration Light, Angel Glow

Anime Original Cards

Rose: Demon Triple Mirror, Held In One's Hand, Power Balance

Dalin: Seal of Orichalcos, Sanctity of the Buried


	9. To Rise Or Fall?

Author's Notes: Now for the conclusion of last chapter's duel and more plot development, and perhaps more dueling! Just wait and see! 

Chapter Eight: To Rise Or Fall?

"You said we had a way to get back to that island. But, it's not like we have a plane or anything, and waiting at the dock won't help." This wasn't the first time Serenity had questioned him about this, but Drake wasn't bothered. He merely continued to lean forward against the bar that stopped people from falling into the water below. The dock was so similar to the one in Domino that he remembered....

"Just wait. Our ride is coming, look out there." Serenity leaned forward as well, and after a little bit of searching she managed to spot a medium sized stream-lined boat heading towards the dock. It was a simple white color, and the pilot's quarters were covered up so that the pilot couldn't be seen. But Drake knew who the pilot was, he knew quite well.

A few minutes later the thirty foot yacht came to a full stop by the dock, and the engine went off. The pilot's door opened up, and out stepped a woman with chestnut brown hair and cerulean blue eyes. She was gorgeous, or at the very least that was Drake's opinion. Serenity risked a glance at his face and saw goofy grin there. She sighed and shook her head. "Just no way to compete...."

"Huh? Did you say something Serenity?" She shook her head, and with that he turned his attention back to Kirani Kajika, the beautiful duelist that Drake had been pining over since the two first met, back before Battle City even began. He had even risked his life and his soul in order to save her. As a matter of fact, he had been clinically dead in order to save her. Actually, clinically dead twice. How could she compete with that?

"Hey there strangers! Need a lift?" Drake grinned and waved back at Kirani, the two grinning like little kids. Serenity sighed yet again and headed for the boat, knowing this was the only way to get where they were going. She casually greeted Kirani, and then waited as Drake drove his Kawazaki onto the yacht. It was time to be off.

"It's been a while hasn't it? Guess we've got some catching up to do don't we." The young brunette girl put her head in her palm and sighed for the third or fourth time in the past few minutes, she hadn't really been counting. This was going to be a long ride, that was for sure.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, this plane takes us to the location given on the card, and then we do what? Is there someone else we have to meet, or something like that?" Autumn couldn't really answer Ryu's question, so she just shrugged. After they had departed, things had been pretty quiet. She had looked over Ryu's deck, and the two had discussed a few strategies that they might use, but other than that they hadn't been able to figure out anything new.

"What do you think we'll have to expect from this place?" This time it was Ryu's turn to shrug, and then all was silent again. What more could they say? For all they knew they were heading towards certain doom with no way of fending for themselves. Ryu grimaced and clenched his gauntleted fist, knowing that soon they'd confront real danger.

Hopefully he'd be able to protect Autumn. He hadn't been able to protect Hinata, he hadn't been there for her at all, and now she was gone. These people, whoever they were, were going to pay! "Soon, I'm going to get revenge." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"All of them are so damned easy to manipulate that it's not really any fun at all. Everything falls into place without the slightest bit of real effort on our part, and what do we get? Nothing! I want to crush one of them already!" The brown robed man's companions sighed at his ranting, irritated that yet again he was complaining.

There was a slight pause as the man in black cocked his head to the side as if listening to something. Then he chuckled and spoke up. "No time to argue, the priests are calling us. It seems that they've found the first half, and they require us to be prepared. Three sendings are already on their way to try and locate and bring in the other half as well as the first half."

The one in brown blew up at this. "Three! They send a bunch of idiot sendings to do this and not us? Damnit! You know what, to make myself feel better I'm going to call Bush and tell him to pardon Saddam. That'll be all kinds of funny." The other two once again rolled their eyes.

"Get over yourself. This kind of power has gone to your head. Now let's get going." The man in brown growled but allowed his power to take hold of him, and he disappeared in a gust of wind. The one in black burst into smoke and faded away, and the white robed one dissolved into sand and slid into the ground. It took only a few seconds, and then there was no sign that they had ever been there.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Kai couldn't believe what he was seeing. This Rose girl had just blown away the last chance for Dalin staying alive in this duel, and now she had five monsters staring down his completely empty field. And without Sanctity of the Buried in the cemetery, Dalin couldn't negate the attack in that manner. He was going to lose...and that meant his soul would be lost as well. "Dalin....no...."_

_"Ready sugar? This is the end of your life, and more women will be safe because of it. So say goodbye to your last life points and your very soul, because you're about to feel the forces of seventy-seven hundred attack points, way more than enough to defeat you! Now my plants, exterminate Dalin Imaki Sumatin, strip him of his life and soul once and for all! ATTACK HIM DIRECTLY!" The five sets of monsters launched their attacks directly at Dalin, and there was nothing between them and his life points. The duel was about to end._

"Have you forgotten what I said? I can't lose!" He clenched his fists and readied himself, a blue aura erupting from his body and swirling around to form a barrier between him and the oncoming attacks. At least that's what it looked like to Kai. But just as quickly as the barrier had formed, it swarmed inwards and slammed into Dalin's chest, lifting him partially off his feet.

Then each and every attack collided into him, vine whips slapping at his chest and face, a razor sharp palmetto blade slashing into his chest, and a deadly plant mouth gripping his middle and tossing him into the air. He came down hard and fast, slamming into the ground with a great deal of force. He let out a groan, blood started to appear beneath him in a little puddle. But he pushed himself back up to his feet and turned to face Rose once again.

"You really need to get over yourself. You can't lose? Ha! Just take a look at your life points, you just did! One hundred life points isn't enough to take seventy-seven hundred points of damage. It's over, you've lost!" Dalin just smirked and raised his duel disk to display the glowing numbers that indicated his remaining life points. (DLP: 300)

"But...how is that possible?! How did you survive that and increase your life points at the same time! You didn't even have any cards left on the field to stop me!" The angel duelist ejected a card from his cemetery for a moment, and then flipped it around. It showed a balance scale with Earth on one side, and a ticking time bomb on the other. The text at the top in Egyptian, just like many of Dalin's other cards, showed it's name. Justice For All.

"You made it all possible Rose. By playing Palmetto Girl you got Mystical Space Typhoon to get rid of my face down card. On the other hand you also allowed me to draw one card, and that was Justice For All." She took a glance at her Palmetto Girl, but then turned her attention back to him again. She didn't understand how drawing that one card could have saved him in this duel. She wasn't alone either. Not only did Kai not recognize the name of the card, he couldn't see the card text from here.

"I'll make it easier for you to understand. Justice For All is a quick-play magic card that allows it to be played from my hand if it's the only card I hold. By it's effect I automatically set my life points at double their starting amount. That means I had eight thousand life points when your attacks connected. Subtract seventy-seven hundred attack from eight thousand and you get the three hundred points I have remaining." With that said he shoved the card back into his cemetery slot, before continuing to explain it. Kai knew there had to be more, as no card could be that strong.

"Justice For All is as it's name implies. It grants me the justice of increasing my life points, but grants you a similar one. This card is a two-edged sword, because at the beginning of each of my turns, before I draw, I lose half of my life points. So even if you don't inflict any life points of damage to me, I'd lose in nine turns as my life points can't be set at half a point. It also means that next turn I'll only have one hundred and fifty. Then the next is seventy-five, and so on. Can you beat me even though I have such a disadvantage, or are you not enough of a duelist?" His smirk returned as he said these words, obviously confident in his own prowess as a duelist to overcome her, even though his field was basically empty and he had no cards in his hand.

"I'll show you Dalin! Before your next turn is over I'll cut you down with ease, and I'll do it with this next card, which I set face down! I'll tell you right now that it's my Pesticide Bomb which will deal you damage equal to the number of plant monsters on my field times one hundred during each of your end phases! You can't win with only one hundred and fifty life points and a single turn, so just watch me win! It's over!" Her declaration meant the turn was over, and now it was off to Dalin.

He placed his finger tips on the top of his deck, ready to draw. As soon as he prepared to draw, the beginning of his turn was signaled, and the effect of Justice For All from his cemetery was activated. His life points trickled away even further, leaving him with the previously stated amount. "Rose, I guarantee that this duel will end in my battle phase! You won't last long enough to see my end phase appear!" (DLP: 150)

Neither Kai nor Rose could understand how Dalin could be so confident in this situation. How could one draw possibly give him everything he needed in order to win the duel before his turn could come to an end? Kai knew that Dalin was good, but could he possibly be that invincible? "What's he up to?"

"Rose. I can see it in your eyes. The pain of your past. And even through the haze of darkness that clouds my vision I can see the truth. My card is absolutely correct. Justice is for all. Not just for some. Therefore I swear to you that I will put right whatever injustice has been done to you, and I will allow you to trust again. When your soul next touches your body, I swear that I will show you that justice has been done. That is my promise, that I will grant you justice when next we meet! Now, I draw!" As soon as he pulled the card off his deck there was a pulsing, like that of a heartbeat.

The card in his hand started to take on a deep blue glow, similar to the energy that had surrounded Dalin when he had gained life points from Justice For All. The smirk gone from his face and replaced by one of supreme confidence the angel duelist raised his card up, showing it to Rose. It was a card with a blue background, and the picture was white with a blue Japanese symbol in the center. It was the symbol of, "Justice. That is my power, that is my promise. Now Go! Heart of Justice!"

The blue aura surrounded his body, placing that symbol of Justice upon his forehead, blanketing out the Seal of Orichalcos. "I refuse to accept the power of Orichalcos any longer, so I'll use the power of my Heart of Justice to transfer it to your side of the field! It will remain that way until it has been on your field for the same number of turns it has been on mine. That is justice!" Rose gasped as the entire Seal of Orichalcos seemed to rotate, and then the green energy formed the seal upon her, granting her and her monsters dark power.

"Now, I could summon one monster for every monster you've destroyed, but instead I think I'll just summon this one that I discarded with Graceful Charity. Come forth, Bright Life Giver(1000/1800)! Upon reaching the field it's effect increases my life points by seven hundred and will continue to do so in each turn!" Dalin's new monster was a sweet looking elderly woman with a holy glow surrounding her. (DLP: 850)

"Bright Life Giver, attack one of her dark Sunflower Ladies!" Bright Life Giver moved to attack, but Sunflower Lady instantly counterattacked with a vine whip barrage, shattering Bright Life Giver into pieces. Kai grimaced at the sight of Dalin's last monster shattering into pieces. Not only that, but because Sunflower Lady had gained dark power it had eighteen hundred attack points, meaning Dalin would lose more life points then he had gained from his now dead angel monster. (DLP: 50)

"Is that your plan Dalin? To defeat yourself before we reach the end phase? Have you so forgotten about my Pesticide Bomb that you think you can casually toss aside life points? No Dalin, you've already lost. Because Justice isn't blind, it has it's eye on you and the rest of mankind! And justice will be dealt!" As she spoke her trap card, Pestilence Bomb flipped up, ready to go off at the end of Dalin's turn. But it was still Dalin's battle phase, so perhaps he could still achieve what he had said before.

"Rose, Justice is blind. And I'm going to prove it. Now that you've destroyed one of my monsters while Heart of Justice is active I get to flip a coin. This coin will be the judge, jury, and potentially executioner of your monster. Sunflower Lady will be judged guilty or innocent by the flip of a coin. If heads, the verdict is innocent and your monster gets off scott free." Rose grimaced, knowing that the other outcome had to be bad for her. It couldn't possibly be simple, not with the power that Dalin had already talked about with the Heart of Justice.

"And if the verdict is guilty?" Dalin sighed and stared her straight in the eye with a look of comforting and solace. Rose gulped, trying to take in air as she desperately tried to explain the feeling of comfort that came with that look. She had never seen that look before....she had only imagined it was how her plants would look at her if they had eyes. They would all tell her that despite the pain, in the end everything would turn out right.

Those eyes of Dalin's, they didn't guarantee an absolute end to pain, just that he would be there to help ease it. He had sworn to bring her justice, and those eyes seemed to keep that promise. In that moment of staring into those eyes she already knew what the outcome of the duel was going to be, and she knew that no matter how long it took him and no matter what pains he had to endure, Dalin would deliver on his promise. Justice would be served.

"When the coin lands on tails and Sunflower Lady is declared guilty, she will automatically be destroyed, inflicting damage to your life points equal to her attack strength. With the added dark power her attack strength is greater than your life points. So you will lose." Rose nodded in acceptance, but Kai was still a little bit awed at Dalin's utter lack of uneasiness. He had just declared in that single sentence not what would happen if the outcome was tails, but that the outcome would be tails and that was what was going to happen.

Without a word Dalin drew a coin from his pocket and tossed it into the air, not even bothering to look as it spiraled through the air and came crashing down on the ground, spinning for several seconds until it teetered and fell onto one side. The outcome was clear under the light of the Seal of Orichalcos and the Heart of Justice. "Guilty."

Sunflower Lady screamed out just once as she exploded into a million pieces, spraying both duelists with digital fragments. Rose dropped her head at the sight of her plant monster in such a state, and let a tear drip down her eye as the rest of the cards on the field faded, with the Seal of Orichalcos all that remained along with the Heart of Justice. And now the Seal of Orichalcos was going to claim her soul. (RLP: 0)

She approached Dalin as the seal came in around her, and stood just a few inches away from him. Then she reached up and put a hand around his neck and pulled him down, pressing her lips against his. The symbol on his forehead glowed brighter than before as she continued to kiss him, sharing this one last moment with the man she felt was her savior. And then the Seal was gone, and so was her soul. She fell limp in Dalin's arms and he slowly settled her down on the ground, in his lap. "She truly suffered Kai. Suffered more than any person I've ever met." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moment that the two duelists lips met a connection was made. Every moment that one shares with another causes a slight echo upon that person. An shadow form that stands forever in that person's soul. It was using this concept that Daisuke Ihachi had been able to reconstruct his soul even after having it obliterated by the spirit that possessed Taichi Nobuki.

The echo can be used for many different purposes, depending on how aware one is of it. It can literally contain part's of that person. Enhanced by two differing powers in the last moments of the soul departing the body Rose's soul left behind a very specific echo upon the soul of Dalin Imaki Sumatin. Her memories.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Bitch! When I say cook dinner I don't mean heat up some dog shit you found on the side of the road! What the fuck is this?" A skinny red haired girl cowered away from a large red haired man in a white wife-beater who was holding a bowl of what looked vaguely like meatloaf. Snarling he tossed the bowl aside, letting it shatter against the wall, spraying fragments across the room. The girl whimpered and pulled away._

_"When I ask you a question I want a fucking answer! Did you hear me you little shit?" Grabbing her by the arm he pulled her closer, glaring at her, his fetid breath wafting into her face, blurring her vision more than her tears did. She struggled to get out an answer, but fear clutched her, and she found she couldn't speak at all._

_"Damn trash! This is the kind of crap I get stuck with when your worthless mother dumped you here! I didn't ask for you, and you stand there and refuse to not answer me? I deserve some respect you stupid bitch!" His backhand knocked her into the kitchen sink, bruising her back and bloodying up her mouth. She slid to the ground, crying and trying to keep the blood from reaching the ground. If the floor got dirty she'd just have to clean it, and nothing was ever good enough._

_Grunting obscenities the older man stomped out of the room, roaring back to her and saying that she had to clean up the mess she had made. Unable to respond she merely sat there and sobbed. It had been this way for two months, and she couldn't take it anymore. She just wanted it all to end._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin let his gaze fall upon the man in the white robe who had previously confronted them, who now stood several feet away from Rose's body. Behind him were about a dozen men dressed in army fatigues and with pistols at the ready. All those pistols were pointed straight at the two of them. Kai stood with his fists up, but he knew they couldn't fight guns. Dalin on the other hand seemed to think they could.

"You won't touch her, I swore that I would set everything right, and to do so I must make sure no harm befalls her. Now stand aside or suffer the consequences." The group of soldiers chuckled at Dalin's declaration, but the man in white merely stood there, staring at him from under his hood. Dalin looked closer at the one shadowed section and wondered if he was seeing things right. It looked as if he was....no, that couldn't be.

"It doesn't matter what you want. Get out of our way Sumatin, because we have a corpse to retrieve. We'll deal with you soon enough. Till then, stay out of our way. We will take that corpse, even if we have to beat you down to do it." Gesturing with his right hand he brought two of the men out to the forefront, pistols at the ready. He motioned for them to move onwards and the cautiously approached Rose's prone body, guns still pointed straight at Dalin.

"I told you that you wouldn't touch her. And I'll make sure that you never even get within a foot of her!" In a shocking display of speed Dalin charged at the men, his muscles bunching as he crossed the distance in just a few seconds of time. The men snapped off a few shots, and though one bullet grazed his right arm, it wasn't enough to stop him. In moments his right hand was gripping the first soldier by the throat, bodily lifting him off the ground.

Kai stared in amazement. He had never seen Dalin actually use the great strength he seemed to possess, so seeing the large muscular duelist manhandling trained soldiers with ease was all the more frightening. He watched as Dalin let out a roar of anger and smashed his left fist into the soldier's face, sending him flying backwards a couple feet into his companion. The soldier's face was a bloody mess just from one blow.

Dalin roared again and turned on the other soldiers, racing in with his fists at the ready. He heard the sound of bullets firing, saw the looks of fear in the eyes of the men he was charging at, and he then there was a flash, and he was racing back in time, to memories that weren't his, and that echoed this moment.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Plants? Is this what you've been doing? What the fuck is wrong with you? We need that money for food and you go and waste it on taking care of a bunch of roses and shit? Jesus, it's annoying enough dealing with on Rose. Get rid of these fucking plants before I come back, or you'll regret it." Fourteen year old Rose was tougher than she had been in years past. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't stand up to him, but these were her plants, and they were all that mattered to her._

_"You won't touch them. I won't let you get within even a foot of them!" Screaming she threw herself at the larger man, swinging away with her small and dainty fists. She got a lucky blow across his face before he recovered from his surprise and grabbed her by the neck, holding her out at arm's length. She gurgled, trying desperate to get air as the seething father-figure of her life choked the life out of her._

_"Bitch. Dying is too good for you. So I've got a better idea." He let her drop to the ground, gasping and panting as she tried to get air into her lungs. Casually he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular object and flicked open the top. Rose's eyes shot wide open as she saw the flame leap into existence at the end of the lighter. He leaned down and held it to the first rose in her row of plants, watching as it burst into flames._

_With no air in her lungs and no strength in her body Rose was only able to watch helplessly as the man who had become her father burned her precious garden flower by flower, plant by plant. The embers danced in the sky, taking with them the last ray of hope she had in life that all would ever be right. The comforting voices of her plants were gone, and she was all alone in the world, alone to suffer._ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group of soldiers were scattered across the park, the grassy ground beneath their bodies matted red by blood. The only three living people left in the park were Dalin, Kai, and the man in white. Dalin stood tall over the fallen soldiers, his fists red, flecks of blood across his face. He turned his cold gaze upon the man in white, and the robed one returned that gaze. "This is Game Punishment for those who falter under any Darkness Game that I initiate. Remember that the next time you try and get past me."

"Darkness Game? What darkness game?" Dalin sneered, and raised the hand that held the silver four-fingered Icon of Osiris. Only, it wasn't Dalin, not at all. Dalin resided in a small corner of his own mind, watching Rose's memories play out in front of him. As soon as he had slipped into those memories the spirit that resided within him, that of Ammut the Devourer of Souls, had come out to play. With vicious strength it had beaten down and broken each of the soldiers, tossing them around like they were rag dolls.

"I invoked a Darkness Game as soon as I attacked. The objective was simple. Get past me. If they didn't do that they would suffer the punishment of their failure. And the failure of my Darkness Game was death. Do you wish to challenge me to a Darkness Game?" The man in white turned his back on Dalin, and at last responded.

"I have no interest in playing a game with you Ammut. All I'm here for is the shell, and I will get what I want." Dissolving into sand the mysterious man reformed right beside Rose, and threw his robe over her. Together they faded into the nothingness of the dirt, leaving only Dalin and Kai remaining, Ammut still in charge of Dalin.

Ammut snarled and turned towards Kai, beckoning him forwards. "It's time we get going. Because I know our destination, I can feel it. We're going to end the first part of this charade by going where they want. From there, we'll know the truth." He stalked to the table and grabbed Dalin's things, and then started walking back towards the docks where their bi-plane was.

A confused and slightly frightened Kai pulled his courage in around him and followed after the seemingly deranged duelist. Whatever was happening to Dalin it didn't bode well for the success of their mission. He'd have to snap Dalin out of it, or something bad was bound to happen.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now I'll sacrifice my set monster and Kaiser Seahorse to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) in attack mode. And since I sacrifice three monsters, two being Kaiser Seahorse thanks to its effect, all monsters on your field are destroyed." Serenity quailed as Kirani placed down the eight star monster in place of her two others monsters. Since it's effect came into play Serenity had to pick up her four monsters from the dueling field and place them on top of her cemetery field. (KLP: 2900, SLP: 1200)

"Well, it's still not over. I've got two face down cards, so it'd be risky to make an attack with your strongest monster when you've got no set cards of your own." This was their third duel since they had started off. Although they had begun the trip by setting the course and then doing some catching up, including some interesting conversation between the two girls, they were now locked in battle again. If Serenity could turn it around it'd be her first win against the older duelist. If not, that would make three losses in a row.

Kirani chuckled and took one of the three cards she still held from her hand and placed it onto the far right magic zone of her dueling field. Serenity gasped as she recognized the name that was displayed on the card. "I guess I don't have to worry about your set cards since my Heavy Storm can blow them away. And now I attack with Gilford to deplete your remaining life points." (SLP: 0)

Serenity sighed and picked up her cards, shuffling them back into her deck. Despite some further tips that Kirani had been giving her she wasn't that much better of a duelist than she had been back when everyone parted ways. She had been practicing and dueling with friends at school, but she didn't feel like she was much of a duelist. Then again, Kirani was a highly ranked duelist who Drake had barely beaten.

"Don't worry about it Serenity. You've got plenty of time to become a world-class duelist. I mean, people like me and Drake won't be on the dueling circuit forever. Soon it'll be the newer generation's turn to step into the spot light. Duelists like you. And don't tell Drake, but I think sooner or later you'll be able to out duel him." The auburn haired girl giggled at this, unheard by Drake who was busy watching a large island come into view.

"Kirani, I think we need you up here. I can't really pilot this thing myself, and we're just about to reach our destination." The girl with the chestnut brown hair rose from her seat across from Serenity and headed up to the front of the yacht. She stopped before she reached the helm and stared out at the huge temple that covered most of the island they were heading towards. Gulping she stepped up to the helm and started guiding the yacht up to it.

Drake grimaced and held up a single card, no longer paying attention to their approach to the island where they would find Dartz waiting. He had searched his deck several times over in order to find the Heart of Darkness card, but had discovered that whatever magic it held, it didn't want to show up unless it felt like it. It was nowhere to be found. The card he held in his hand was a different story.

The green background identified it as a magic card, but the image was completely blank. The card text was there, but there was no image at all. This used to be the Seal of Orichalcos, but after he had shattered the Seal and it's powers using the Heart of Darkness in his duel with Yami the image had faded and the stone he had gotten from Dartz was shattered as well. "At least I don't have to worry about this thing bringing out my darkness again."

"Looks like we've got company." Serenity's voice snapped Drake out of his daze, and the duelist look up from the former Seal of Orichalcos and found three men in suits standing in front of them waiting on the edge of the shore. Drake's keen eye noticed a strange thing about each of the three men in Armani suits. Each one had a gold pin in the shape of the infinity symbol on their left lapel.

Before the yacht came to a complete stop Drake took a running leap and soared off the end of the boat, his trench coat flaring out behind him. He landed in a crouch on the beach, right in front of the three men. Slowly he stood up, finding that each man was about even in height with him. The one on the left had green eyes and a brown buzz cut, the same hair cut that the other three had. The middle one was distinguished by brown eyes and a rough beard, and the last one by long sideburns. "What do you three want? Do you work for Dartz?"

Mr. Green Eyes spoke up first, raising his right arm which held a pitch black duel disk. "We have nothing to do with Dartz. We were merely using his island as a waiting place for you. You and the girl will be our opponents. We want to see just how strong a duelist you really are." The other two duelists raised their own duel disks, each pitch black like the firsts, and expanded them, inserting decks.

Serenity hopped down from the boat to join Drake, and stopped in time to catch a duel disk that was tossed to her by the one in the middle. She looked at it quizzically but finally put it on after a bit of hesitation. She put her deck in and activated the disk, ready to begin the duel. "This will be cool. My first for fun duel with a duel disk where nobody's life is on the line." (SLP: 4000)

Drake glared at each of the three suited men in turn, wishing he could know what they were thinking. He could tell what they were feeling if he dipped into the power of the Millennium Disc, but right now he was afraid to use it. He didn't want to unleash its power for fear of what it might do. What would he do if it brought out the Heart of Darkness? "I'll accept your challenge and I'll finish you all off in record time!" (DLP: 4000)

"Very well. I am Emilio Damer. My two partners are Tokime Edamare and Sebushimi Tatawara. You cannot defeat us when we battle together. Now you shall begin, followed by the young girl, then I shall take my turn, followed by Tokime and then Sebushimi. Let the duel begin!" The three duelists raised their disks, life points counting up as the duel started. It was Drake's move first thing off the bat, and he'd have to make it count. (ELP: 4000, TLP: 4000, SELP: 4000)

"I'll start this duel off with just a monster in defense mode and one card face down. Serenity, take it away." His two cards appeared in front of him, and then his turn was over, leaving him with four cards in hand. The auburn haired girl drew her sixth card and quickly chose her move, undaunted by Kirani jumping down onto the beach behind them. She folded her arms and watched as the duel got going.

"I know we can't play defense the whole time. So I set one card face down. Then I summon Spirit Warrior Girl(1000/1000) in attack mode! End." Serenity's first monster was dressed in white and black armor, and carried a glowing blue energy sword. Drake recognized the monster and knew it's ability. But in this case he somehow doubted it would be very useful. He didn't know how he knew, but he anticipated that these three were powerful duelists. He'd have to make sure Serenity didn't get taken down too fast. That might crush her dueling spirit.

Emilio added another card to his hand and then let out a loud laugh. He slipped the first card into an activation slot and raised his arms to the sky, gesturing as a floating skull appeared high above them. "I'll begin my turn with a card that will be the end for one of you! Final Countdown! It costs me a mere two thousand points, and in twenty turns one of you will lose the duel. And since it's a normal magic card you can't defeat it without defeating me first." He smirked and slipped three more cards onto his disk before finishing his turn. (ELP: 2000)

Tokime glanced at his full hand, and then spoke up, his voice deep and gruff. "I begin by playing Graceful Charity. I know a skilled duelist like Drake would know the effect, but for the benefit of the little lady I'll explain. I draw three cards and then discard two." He snapped three cards off his deck and glanced at them briefly before choosing two cards in his starting hand to discard. He held a total of six cards still, and his move was just getting going.

"I set one card face down and play a monster in defense mode. For now, that's all I can do." His two cards appeared on the field, mirroring Drake's own field. Tokime motioned for his partner to take it away, leaving Drake wondering about his strategy. He knew Emilio's strategy now, and he could only hope his initial guess at the other two strategies weren't right at all.

Now Sebushimi drew his sixth card and surveyed what he held. He shrugged, obviously not seeming to be satisfied by it. Finally he settled on what he wanted to play, and slid two cards into his disk, watching as they appeared face down in front of him. Then he announced his next move, his voice nearly as deep as Tokime's. "I believe I'll activate this special magic card. Terraforming! Using it's magic I can search my deck for a field card and add it to my hand."

He pulled his deck free and then fanned it out in front of him, his eyes scanning it for the card he wanted. Finally he let out a deep belly laugh as he saw the card and snatched it out. Lastly he reshuffled his deck and placed it back where it belonged. "Witness the field card that I have chosen. SEAL OF ORICHALCOS!" He slapped the card down in his field zone and smirked as the seal began to form.

"Damn....this is just what we didn't need. Now I have to make sure that Serenity doesn't lose, because if she does...her soul will be taken. Fine! If you want to use the Seal be prepared to face the consequences. I've broken it before and I'll do so again!" With that said he pulled free the next card of his deck, giving him a total of five cards to use. He glanced at his new card and then at another on his field.

"I set up one card and then summon Ghost Magician(1700/1700) in attack mode. And Ghost Magician will attack Tokime's set monster and wipe it out! Go, Spectral Blast!" The magician in faded black robes raised his golden staff and unleashed a beam of nearly see-through gold energy. It smashed the face down monster apart, briefly revealing a very ugly looking creature that Drake knew of.

"Thank you. The effect of my Big Eye activates since it was flipped, so I draw five cards. Now that I've got these new cards I can rearrange their order and then place them back on top of my deck." He pulled free five cards and looked through them all, finally deciding on moving just two of them. It seemed odd that he would barely change the order, but Drake had no way of knowing exactly what had been drawn, so he couldn't make a guess. Though this did help his theory. Tokime replaced his card, and Drake motioned for Serenity to go.

She took one look at her next card and then slapped it onto one of her monster zones. "Come on out Neo(1700/1000), you and Spirit Warrior Girl are up to bat. Speaking of my warrior, she's got a special ability I'm gonna activate now. For every warrior or spellcaster I discard from my hand she gains one thousand points till the turn is over. So by discard a second Neo from my hand she gets set at two thousand points!" The sword that Spirit Warrior Girl carried blazed into life, doubling in size instantly as Serenity dumped a monster into her graveyard.

"Serenity, wait a second!" The rookie duelist didn't listen to Drake, she was too busy believing that she was about to grant them the advantage and maybe take down one of their opponents and even things up. By her account three on two wasn't fair, but she intended to make things more fair.

"Spirit Warrior Girl, attack Emilio directly!" Drake grimaced as her monster shot forward, right into the waiting jaws of Emilio's field of traps. With three cards face down he was bound to have something to stop the attack, particularly in a deck focused around ending the duel without the use of an attack. And Serenity had just recklessly rushed in.

"You've triggered my trap card, Savage Nation! By it's effect the attacking monster is destroyed, along with any monster you control whose attack is less than the destroyed monster's power. And since you so helpfully boosted your Spirit Warrior Girl in hopes of defeating me in one strike, your Neo the Magical Swordsman is also destroyed!" The warrior girl cried out as the effect of the trap blew her away, turning both her and Neo into nothing but digital powder.

Serenity groaned, knowing she had screwed up and just cleared her field. "I'm sorry Drake, I should have waited and thought it out." She sighed and placed a card down on the field. Since that was all she could do it was back to Emilio, who had all the opportunity he could need to recover and place a new trap. And yet another turn for Final Countdown would be passing.

"I'll place a monster in defense mode. Now I'll invite you to take a look up, where you'll find that there are six balls of fire floating above us." Drake, Serenity, and Kirani all took a look up and saw that there were indeed six balls of fire. Drake had a bad feeling that he knew exactly what they were. And this was just a form of taunting.

"Each ball of fire you see in the sky above us represents a turn counter. At the moment there are six, meaning this is the sixth turn of Final Countdown. When you see twenty overhead the end will have come for one of you. Since there are five duelists playing, that means one rotation is five more turns, so in only a few more rotations you'll be finished! But I doubt you'll both last that long, this is just insurance." Drake shot Emilio a glare and was treated with harsh laughter in return.

Tokime cleared his throat, meaning that he was going to take his turn. Snatching another card he showed the card he had drawn with a very familiar image on it. Drake had first seen that card when he dueled Taichi, and it had given Taichi the combo to defeat Obelisk the Tormentor in one turn. "Payment of Debt allows me to draw three cards, going through four of the five I checked in just one turn. But that's not all, my Pot of Greed card will let me go through the last one and get to a new card." He pulled free another two, giving him a total of eight cards in hand. And with that Drake's suspicions were confirmed. There was no way it was anything but the strategy he thought it was.

"Now I'll clear my hand up a bit by placing two magic or trap cards on the field and then setting a new monster. That should keep me in fair fashion for a little while shouldn't it? Sebushimi, looks like you're up." The duelist with the big sideburns drew another card, and then brushed imaginary dust off his expensive suit. Drake scoffed at that, folding his arms and waiting for the duelist to make his move. He was pretty sure he knew what strategy this guy was playing with as well, and he wasn't impressed.

"I'll flip my set card, Defense Seal. Now that I've played it I can't be attacked directly for a total of three of my opponent's turns. Now I'll finish my turn by placing a monster and a trap card on the field. Looks like it's back to you Ihachi." Drake grimaced at being called that, as it only served to remind him of the psychotic pseudo-goddess who in a past life had been his sibling.

"Damn, you guys sure are cowards. Hiding behind such paltry strategies. If you were real duelists you wouldn't have to use such pathetic methods to win duels. I'll show you a real duelist soon enough, so I sacrifice my two monsters to summon Dark Magician(2500/2100)." The deadly spellcaster in purple robes hit the field, his twenty-five hundred attack points making him easily the most powerful monster in play. Then again he was the only face-up monster in play at all.

"I'll bring down your defenses piece by piece, and I'll start by attacking Emilio!" The Dark Magician fired off a beam of energy, only to be deflected by a swirling barrier of energy. It was Emilio's set quick-play magic card, Weakening of Attack. It was just the quick-play version of Negate Attack, so Drake's battle phase was over, not that he had any other monsters to attack with anyways.

Serenity glanced at her newest card only briefly before placing it onto her duel disk. It appeared in the form of a woman in white and black armor with an energy sword. The second Spirit Warrior Girl(1000/1000). "I know it may seem reckless, but we can't avoid attacking otherwise we'll lose. So I'll attack Emilio's set monster." Spirit Warrior Girl's energy weapon ripped through the set monster, briefly revealing a Skelengel, which let Emilio draw a card because it had been flipped.

Emilio didn't seem to happy with the card he got from Skelengel, nor did he seem happy as he drew. His hand may have consisted of four cards, but each card was completely useless to him. but at least his turn counted for yet another piece of his victory. "I pass for now, but keep in mind that in only nine turns one of you will lose the duel!"

Tokime glanced at his newest card and then started laughing. Whatever it was it made him happy enough that he was practically rolling on the floor. "Witness the ultimate in draw power! Tiny Pound Hammer! It may seem puny, but I can shuffle it and any other number of cards from my hand into my deck to draw an equal number of cards. That means I can keep using it over and over again! Now watch as I shuffle it and two others into my deck." He took the three cards and slid them into his deck and then shuffled it, before drawing three new cards to replace the three he had lost.

"Ah, how helpful. It seems that everything is nearly ready. Until then, I'll set a magic or trap card on the field. Now I pass the turn to Sebushimi." His card appeared face down, next to his three other set cards. With that many cards to defend himself with it made getting to his life points really difficult unless Drake or Serenity drew some kind of magic removal.

Sebushimi added a third card to his hand, and then he too burst out laughing. He took his newest card and practically forced it into his duel disk, watching as it appeared face down in front of him. "This card will be your demise! For with it I can spell out your end, and there's no way that you can stop me! Turn End!" On the outside of the seal Kirani grimaced, having figured out exactly what Tokime and Sebushimi were up to. Sebushimi had particularly given himself away with the last thing he had said.

Drake drew another card, and watched as Sebushimi flipped up his newest face down card. "Reveal the ultimate trap card, Ouija Board! During each of your end phases it will automatically grab another Death Message from my deck and put it into play. And since the Seal of Orichalcos allows me to use my zones interchangeably I'll easily be able to complete it. More than that, it will happen in each of your end phases!" The hovering board of flame appeared, and the hand moved the little magnifying glass over the D, the first part of the message that would defeat one of them.

"Just like I thought. Final Countdown, Ouija Board, and then Exodia. The three methods of instant victory all rolled into one duel. You three are just as pathetic as I assumed earlier. It didn't take me long to figure out what you three were up to, and it won't take me long to crush your strategies either! Dark Magician, go after Emilio again!" The purple beam of energy that the magician unleashed was caught by a group of robed men, product of the trap card Waboku which prevented battle damage to Emilio for that turn.

"Just you guys wait. I'll set a monster on the field and that's all. It won't take long before you guys are finished. Remember Emilio, you've got one card left on the field, and it's doubtful your partners will help you out. And my next turn is turn nineteen, and you won't get past that turn! Just you wait!" Emilio gulped, realizing that Drake might be right. He had nothing useful in his hand, only one card left to defend himself with, and neither of his partners would help him. That had already been said between the three of them.

Sebushimi laughed as Drake's turn ended, gesturing up at the floating Ouija Board card. The hand was moving yet again, this time coming to rest on E, spelling out the second part of the five letter message. "That's another piece, and as soon as your little girlfriend ends her turn, the third will be put into play!

Serenity swiftly set up a card right after starting her turn. She knew she had to make this turn count. Drake had said it on his own without letting the others know he was helping. By pointing out that he had only one more set card and his partners wouldn't defend him he pointed the way for her. "Spirit Warrior Girl, attack Emilio directly with Flash Saber Strike!"

Spirit Warrior Girl jumped straight up into the air, and then pointed back down. She fell like a comet towards Emilio's exposed life points, ready to bring him down by a further one thousand points, cutting him down to a fourth of his starting points. "I won't die yet! Negate Attack!" The energy field neutralized Serenity's assault, leaving Emilio safe for another round. But unless he drew a way to stop Drake in the punk duelist's next turn, he was utterly finished.

"Remember little girl, as I said, now that your turn is over the third piece of the message is put into play. Death Messages D, E, and A are now in play. Only two remain and then it's over for you! And as soon as Tokime draws the final piece of Exodia you're going to lose!" Serenity gulped, and she wasn't alone. Kirani saw that it seemed fairly hopeless as well. Only Drake stood confident and ready, waiting for the oncoming power to be unleashed.

Emilio stared at his newest card with a wide-eyed face. "This is it! I've just drawn the card that will end you once and for all! With it I'll make sure that you don't get a free turn to attack me, because it's going to wipe you out here and now! Go TIME JUMP! It's power will advance time by three turns, meaning that as soon as my partners draws one of you will lose!" His magic card appeared, with an image of a clock on it in a sandy background.

Suddenly Drake threw back his head and roared with laughter. None of the present duelists seemed to have a clue why he found this funny, after all, it meant his defeat. "I knew you'd make a mistake sooner or later. And you've just made it. Open face down card, Wisdom of the Ancients! This quick-play card lets me pay seven hundred life points in order to use the effect of any trap that I can name and give the effect of. So I'll play my life points to activate a special trap called Tick Tock!" (DLP: 3300)

"The effect of Tick Tock can only be used when a card is used that changes the turn count of the duel. And Time Jump qualifies. Tick Tock then negates that change, and reverses it, so say goodbye to three turns! Not only that, but I activate Instant Replay to use Tick Tock's effect again! So now you've lost six turns!" Emilio gasped in horror as six of the fireballs up above faded away, leaving only ten. That meant that Drake and Serenity had more chances to defeat him, and he had no way to defend himself!

He gulped, but with no other cards to play his turn was over, and now it was Tokime's time to shine. And as had already been revealed in his hand of six cards he held four pieces of Exodia. That meant that all he needed was one remaining piece and he'd have instant victory. "It would appear I can't win this turn and I can't set any cards. But believe me, it's going to end soon. Sebushimi, show them what we can do."

Sebushimi smirked as soon as his turn came up, and he flipped around his newest card, revealing a very familiar image. "It doesn't matter how skilled you are Drake, because unless you can defeat me next turn, which I doubt, you'll lose the duel. At the end of your turn the message will be completed because I play Spirit Message T from my hand! All that's left is H, and that comes at the end of my turn!" He let out another laugh, causing Drake to grimace.

Kirani took a good look at the situation and couldn't come up with any way for Drake to make it through the next turn. "Next turn is the last turn that Sebushimi can't be attacked directly. And without the ability to attack directly he can't bring down Sebushimi. If he loses, the Seal takes his soul, just like he told me about. So what can he do?" Sebushimi smirked and declared the end of his turn, giving control to Drake, who had just one more chance to win the duel or he'd lose.

Drake drew his card and didn't even bother to look at it. Instead he closed his eyes and shook his head. "You guys really are pitiful. I don't even have to look to know that I've drawn the card that will take you apart. I've got that much faith in my deck! So I'll play my card without looking!" He inserted his new card into an activation slot, and it appeared on the field. Sebushimi was busy laughing so much that he didn't see the image of a tornado with a lightning bolt appear.

"What are you laughing about Sebushimi? The card I've just activated is Mystical Space Typhoon. And I'm targeting Ouija Board because when it goes to the cemetery the other messages go as well. Now say goodbye to your entire strategy!" Sebushimi couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the lightning bolt shatter his deadliest trap card, his strategy breaking apart in just a single move. Drake hadn't even looked!

"But that...that's impossible! Nobody could have done that!" Drake smirked and reached for his duel disk, and grabbed hold of his face down monster. Then he swiftly flipped it face up, revealing a man in golden robes holding a wand with an hour glass at the top of it. The power of his set monster was about to be revealed.

"I'll flip up my set monster, Time Magician(500/400)! When flipped I name a phase, and in this case I'm naming Draw Phase. Now I get to roll a die." The Time Magician aimed his wand and shot a die out of it, which bounced around until it stopped in the center of the field, four pips facing straight up. That meant that Drake had rolled a four, and now they'd discover exactly what effect the Time Magician possessed that made Drake so confident.

"Based on the roll of the die I take damage. So I take twelve hundred damage since for each number rolled I take 300 damage to my life points. But in return I get to skip that many of the named phase for the opponent. Now neither Tokime nor Sebushimi gets a draw phase for the next two turns. With that I've defeated all three of your strategies! Without the ability to draw Exodia cannot come out, I destroyed Ouija Board, and now I'll defeat the user of Final Countdown." The three duelists grimaced at this great display of power that allowed Drake to make such a come back. (DLP: 2100)

"Now, Dark Magician, attack Emilio directly!" The beam of black magic struck Emilio dead center in the chest and blew him backwards into the seal, a burn mark on his chest in a neat little circle. He slumped to the ground, his life points depleted and his soul drained away by the power of the Seal of Orichaclos. Now only two opponents remained to defeat. (ELP: 0)

Serenity started off her turn by pressing the buttons for activating set cards. Her two cards flipped up, revealing exactly what they were. "I'll use Jar of Greed to draw one card and counteract this other card, Offerings to the Doomed. This card will destroy Tokime's set monster at a cost of my next draw phase." Bandages shot out of the card and dragged Tokime's monster to the graveyard, briefly revealing it to be a Sage of Everlasting Light, a card that Drake also possessed that could allow for drawing five cards or discarding five cards, depending on the luck of a coin flip.

"Next I'll activate Monster Reborn to call out Neo(1700/1000) again, and I'll have his companion join him. Come out Nia the Magical Swordswoman(1300/1400)!" Her two monsters appeared on the field next to Spirit Warrior Girl, both in armor and wielding swords, one a blonde woman the other a blonde man. These two cards Serenity had used quite commonly since she had discovered that Drake had often looked at Neo as a card very similar to him because it was both a warrior and a magician.

"Don't think that's all, because I play Ties of Sisterhood! At a cost of one thousand life points I can special summon two female monsters from my deck with level four or lower! So here I go!" She flipped through her deck since she couldn't hold it all like some other duelists could. After a few moments of searching she came across the monsters she wanted and slapped them onto the field. Two identical female monsters appeared, both in leather with black staffs in their hands.

"These are my Tempest Magician Girls(1800/1600) who pack quite a punch. You might even get a chance to see their effect if you live long enough. But I doubt it. All five of my monsters are about to finish you off here and now!" Drake's eyes went wide at this declaration and he shook his head in denial. Not Tokime....he had too many traps in play!

"Witness my trap card, Barrier of the Meek! This lets me bring out monsters from my hand or deck with one thousand or less attack points. And I get as many of them as you have monsters. Since you have five monsters, I get five weaklings to block the attack. Now witness these five monsters! Exodia the Forbidden One(1000/1000), Left Arm of the Forbidden One(200/300), Right Arm of the Forbidden One(200/300), Left Leg of the Forbidden One(200/300), and Right Leg of the Forbidden One(200/300)!" The five named pieces appeared, looking like severed body parts hanging in thin air.

"Your pathetic pieces may save you, but they'll only die and leave you with no defenses and no chance at an instant victory!" Her five monsters unleashed their attacks, blowing the five pieces of Exodia into smithereens. Nothing was left of them at all, and now every last piece was in the graveyard. Drake grimaced, knowing exactly what was going to be next. He knew what one of Tokime's set cards was, and it was going to make this duel more difficult than he thought it would be.

"Thank you little girl, you've given me a chance to bring out my ultimate creature! Reveal Pact with Exodia, which will now unleash Exodia Necros(1800/0) onto the field! I'll follow that up with my set card Terraformer! This card automatically becomes a named field card, so I choose Seal of Orichalcos!" The seal formed upon his head, but no change was made to the field as a Seal was already in play. However Exodia Necros did gain a boost in power, sending it's attack strength rising to twenty-three hundred.

With nothing left she could do Serenity had to end her turn with five defenseless monsters on the field. And Drake had no set cards either, so he couldn't stop the next attack. "Now that my standby phase has come Exodia Necros gains 500 more points. Now watch as I increase it's power more with Shattered Bonds! This will break the bonds it shares with it's past self and the spectral chains that held it fast. Now it gains new abilities for each piece of Exodia with the cemetery and it won't die if one of them leaves! Now watch as I unleash the first one as I destroy Spirit Warrior Girl!" Exodia Necros unleashed a stream of jet black flame, burning Spirit Warrior Girl into cinders and making Serenity's life points take a severe drop. (SLP: 1200)

"One of the effects Exodia Necros has gained is that when it battles a monster it gains one thousand attack strength, so now it has thirty-eight hundred! During my next standby phase that will become forty-three hundred and so on. It's stronger than ever and it's strength is limitless. Pity I couldn't draw a new card, otherwise I might have been able to grant it more power. In two turns I will, and then you'll be finished. End!" Drake grimaced, knowing that they were in trouble. He knew how deadly Exodia Necros was, but at least he knew that there was nothing to fear from Sebushimi.

"My partner has already showed you his full power, now let me show you mine. First I need to play Graceful Charity so I can get new cards and dump a card into the cemetery." He slipped three cards off the deck and then quickly shoved two of them into the graveyard. His hand size stayed steady at two, so nothing new seemed to have happened other than he changed one card from Graceful Charity to something different.

"As my partner unleashed his ultimate monster, so shall I unleash mine. I play Veil of Death, which sends all cards on my field to the cemetery. Luckily Seal of Orichalcos can't go to the cemetery like that, so it remains. This allows me to unleash a mighty creature that can only be born when all five death messages are in the grave. Come out Embodiment of Death(?/?)!" The creature that appeared was like a walking flesh pile with bandages holding it together, and souls trying to push their way out from underneath the bandages. Drake had never even heard of this beast.

"For each piece in the cemetery my mighty Embodiment of Death gains another ability, meaning he has five effects. Let's activate the first one shall we? Deathstrike Attack!" The creature extended its arms, shooting bandages straight out and striking Serenity in the chest and arms, cutting through her clothing and into her skin. She cried out fell to her knees, blood welling up from the wounds and dripping down her shirt. Drake immediately ran to her, helping her stand and putting a comforting arm around her. (SLP: 700)

"Think that by giving her comfort you're helping her? It won't do anything to stop her or you from losing. Witness another ability of my beast. By discarding a card I can destroy a monster on the field, so I dump one card to destroy Dark Magician." Embodiment of Death raised its arms and sent bandages right at the Dark Magician, ripping him in half with a brutal amount of force. Drake kept Serenity from seeing the gory spectacle. He didn't want her exposed to that.

"Now I activate the third power of this ultimate monster. I can remove two magic cards from my cemetery to revive a monster destroyed by it's second effect on my side of the field. However that creature can't attack. So I remove Graceful Charity and Terraforming to bring back Dark Magician on my field." The death creature plunged its bandages into the ground beneath its feet and pulled out from beneath the ground a zombie-like Dark Magician with pale and rotting flesh.

"Next I use the fourth power to sacrifice Dark Magician and grant my Embodiment of Death half of it's attack and defense strength. That means that with the bonus of the Seal of Orichalcos my Embodiment of Death(1750/1050) is strong enough to deal some real damage. Embodiment of Death, destroy Nia!" The female magical warrior defended herself against the oncoming bandages valiantly, but in the end she was speared through the heart by them, and destroyed. (SLP: 250)

"I just realized something. I never explained Deathstrike Attack did I? You see, during each of my turns I deal damage to the opponent equal to the number of death messages in my cemetery times one hundred. So each turn I'll inflict five hundred damage to one of your life points. And guess who I'm targeting next turn?" He threw back his head, laughing evilly at the fact that there was seemingly no way to stop him.

Drake rose up to his feet, standing in front of the weakened Serenity. He held his duel disk up and put two fingers on the top of his next card. He held it there for several seconds, contemplating the situation. He had no cards on the field and three in his hand. Serenity had three monsters left, but she couldn't draw and had no set cards. Worse yet, Embodiment of Death could deal her enough damage to drain her life points without ever attacking.

No...that wasn't the worst thing. The worst thing was that it was all his fault. If he hadn't been afraid of the Millennium Disc and his own potential darkness he would have been able to tell that these guys were up to no good, and he could have stopped Serenity from participating. Now he was left with one last chance to either defeat Sebushimi, or have Serenity lose her soul. "I swore that I'd protect her, and I have to keep my promises. I won't let her down, so it all comes down to one draw! That's the only chance there is, if I can't find the method to defeat him right now, the duel will be over!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The five robed men stood in their circle, watching the conflict between the four duelists continue. They also watched Ryu and Autumn's ride coming in to stop there, as it would arrive in about five minutes. Dalin and Kai would arrive in about eight or ten minutes.

"Before the duel is over he will once again release darkness. And to pull him back from the edge the girl will unleash her power, that of her Heart of Man. When Light and Dark are unveiled we will have all that we need to bring Order to the world. Soon our lord and master will come forth to spread order across the lands."

"Now it all depends on whether they can rise to the challenge, or fall prey to the strength of our sendings. Soon we will know the truth." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And there you have it, another two part duel. Surprising from me isn't it with my habit of really long single chapter duels. Well expect to see more long and deadly duels as this story continues. Mwuahahahahahhahahahaha!!!!!!

Time Mage: Dalin said it best himself. "When I'm involved nothing is impossible."

G.O.T. Nick: She does need help indeed, but obviously it's not her fault.

The White Mage: Ooo, two mages reviewing my story. It must be magically inclined.

VoidTemplar: Honestly I just sort of make em' up off the top of my head. Once I think of a name the effect is pretty easy. Other times I think of an effect I'd like to put in and just make the name and card around the effect. However I do it, it works.

WolfGeneral: Rose? Scary? What were you hmming about anyways?

Original Cards

Dalin: Justice For All, Heart of Justice, Bright Life Giver

Rose: Pesticide Bomb

Drake: Ghost Magician, Wisdom of the Ancients, Tick Tock, Instant Replay, Time Magician

Serenity: Spirit Warrior Girl, Ties of Sisterhood, Tempest Magician Girl

Emilio: Savage Nation, Weakening of Attack

Tokime: Payment of Debt, Barrier of the Meek, Shattered Bonds

Sebushimi: Defense Seal, Veil of Death, Embodiment of Death

Anime Original Cards

Emilio: Time Jump

Tokime: Seal of Orichalcos, Tiny Pound Hammer(from Genex)

Sebushimi: Seal of Orichalcos

Submitted Original Cards

Tokime: Terraformer(by Vaurnut)


	10. Breaking the Fabric

Author's Notes: Here comes Ch.9. I won't say much about it, you'll just have to read and find out for yourself. 

Chapter Nine: Breaking the Fabric

Ryu cranked down the engine, letting the speed boat drift to a halt against the edge of the shore. A few hundred feet away he could see a duel going on, and by the green glow he could tell it was duel using the Seal of Orichalcos. "Looks like this is the place. Come on Autumn." He quickly helped her out of the boat and together the two made a run for the duel.

It didn't take them long before they had to stop to avoid ramming into the seal itself. Ryu stared hard at the duel, seeing four duelists, with a fifth flat on the ground. Two duelists in suits with nasty looking monsters were facing Drake and Serenity, and the situation seemed dire. Ryu and Autumn ran off to the side where the attractive girl that Ryu recognized as Kirani waited.

"What's the situation?" Kirani looked a bit surprised to see them there, but recovered quickly enough and starting explaining how they had arrived at the island, encountered the three men, and a duel had begun. She also outlined the abilities that the two Armani wearing duelist's monsters had. Ryu's face was set in a grim line the whole time as the situation seemed worse the more it was explained.

"And now it's Drake's turn?" Kirani nodded, most of her attention on the duel at hand. As bad as things were, she trusted Drake to turn it all around. He always seemed to have a way to make things work out in a duel. After all, he'd done it to her, and he'd done it not long ago in this very duel. The perfect draw of Mystical Space Typhoon showed his true strength as a duelist.

Drake snapped the first card off his deck, giving him a hand of four. He looked at his new card and then at the rest of his hand and sighed. There was no way to defeat Sebushimi in a single turn, not with the cards he had. He was just going to have to play defensively and hope for the best. His plan had to work, or else Serenity was finished. "I'll set three cards face down and a monster in defense mode. End turn!"

Serenity shuddered and shifted her monsters to defense mode since she couldn't draw and had no cards to play. That was all she could do this turn, and there was no way to get around it. "I...end my turn." She was going to lose her soul as soon as Sebushimi started his turn, and she was terrified of it.

The bearded suit, Tokime, began his turn without drawing a card, just like the effect of Time Magician said. This was his last turn without the ability to draw, but he wasn't bothered by it. "It's time to show you more of Exodia Necros' full power. I flip up the trap Obliterate which costs his attack for this turn and can only be played when he's been on the field for at least one full turn. Obliterate then destroys every single monster on the opponent's field!" Exodia Necros unleashed a black wave of energy, sweeping aside all three of Serenity's monsters and Drake's set monster, leaving them with nothing but Drake's three face down cards.

Sebushimi scoffed at Drake's set cards, knowing that even if he couldn't attack, he could certainly defeat the little girl right here and now. If his masters were right she'd unleash the power of the Heart of Light to save herself before she could lose. "Embodiment of Death, use your Deathstrike Attack to eliminate Serenity from this duel and take away her soul!"

The death creature unleashed its sharp bandage tendrils, sending them straight for Serenity's heart to not only deplete her life points but kill her as well. Those things were too deadly to be allowed to strike her. "Hold it Sebushimi! I'm activating a quick-play card, Magical Hats!" A giant magician's hat appeared on the field, ready to split into it's four sections.

"Idiot, you have no monsters to hide. And besides, even if you did it wouldn't stop me from defeating her with this strike. It's effect damage, not battle." Drake smirked and pressed another button on his disk, activating the set card that had been right beside. Now all he had to do was hope and pray that everything turned out right.

"I'm changing the effect of Magical Hats with Amendment, one of my other placed cards. Now the hats will conceal the duelists instead of the monsters, and it will also conceal my other face down card. So go ahead and have Embodiment of Death use it's effect, because unless it targets the right hat you won't deal damage anyways!" His last words were covered up when the hat came down over Drake and Serenity, and then shimmered and separated into four different hats. The two duelists were nowhere to be seen.

"Holograms can't move people, so you're in the middle left hat! Deal that damage my beast!" The tendrils pounded against the hat, but they didn't penetrate as it was only an effect and not a real attack. But the Seal of Orichalcos didn't react, so that meant he hadn't struck a hat that had either duelist in it. Or maybe it had struck the one Drake was in and Drake had survived. There was only one way to know for sure.

"Embodiment of Death, attack that same hat and destroyed it completely along with whatever is under it!" This time the monster sent a storm of bandages at the hat, slicing it into tiny little pieces that went flying everywhere. What Sebushimi discovered was that there was nothing under the hat at all, and he had attacked the wrong one twice. "DAMN IT! Fine, my turn is over."

Underneath one of the hats Drake and Serenity sat waiting for an attack to come, and they were whispering to each other. They knew it was Drake's turn, and Drake had something he intended to do. "If I leave the hat they'll target me and wait till I'm defeated. That'll give you time to fight back against them or at least find a way to stop them."

She latched on to him in order to keep him from going anywhere. She shook her head, and tried desperately to keep her entire body from shaking. She was more afraid than she had ever been in her whole life, and not just for herself. But for Drake as well. "Please, don't. Together we can stand against them. Don't make yourself their target. Please?" She didn't want to see him again as she once had in that realm of darkness. Hanging upon a cross, and accusing her of being the one who caused it.

"Fine, I'll do it." Snatching a card off his deck he swiftly played it, activating it's power. Hopefully this manuever would end the threat on Serenity's life points. "Activate Play of Rebellion, sending the attack of Exodia Necros at Embodiment of Death! This will destroy Embodiment of Death and rid us of it's threat!" To Tokime and Sebushimi his voice seemed to come from all around them, making it impossible to tell what hat he was under.

Tokime grimaced as his Exodia Necros turned and fired off a volley of energy at the much weaker Embodiment of Death. The attack wouldn't defeat his partner, but it would eliminate one of their best weapons in this duel. "Ha! I'll just use the fifth and final effect of my monster. By paying 1000 life points to negate the attack on it!" Embodiment of Death raised its arms and created a giant shield of bandages to absorb the attack, keeping him safe. (SELP: 3000)

Drake cursed silently, and then ended his turn, unable to do anything else. Now there were only three hats left to protect them. That could decrease come Tokime's turn, but at least now Serenity had a chance to turn things around. Slowly she drew her card, and then showed him what she had drawn. "Offerings to the Doomed. Good draw. With that you can take out Embodiment of Death and he can't stop you. Go ahead and play it."

"I activate Offerings to the Doomed and target Embodiment of Death!" The bandages exploded from the ground and shot straight at the bandaged creature. Although they couldn't see what was going on, the three duelists outside could, and they exactly what happened afterwards with a perfect view of it all.

"I'll defend Sebushimi's Embodiment of Death with my Exodia Necros which cannot be destroyed in any way! Therefore both monsters remain intact!" Exodia Necros merely shrugged off the bandages, remaining perfectly fine. Drake and Serenity grimaced, knowing that they had no method left to defeat either, and they'd have to wait and hope that they could find a way around the situation and that they didn't become the target of the next attack.

Tokime snapped another card off his deck and smirked at the sight of it. This would give him more of an advantage. "I play Blessing of Exodia, which will grant me 2000 life points if all five pieces of Exodia are in the cemetery. Therefore my life points shoot straight upwards past both of yours combined!" (TLP: 6000)

"With Exodia Necros at such a high level of attack power you can't stop me, so I'll attack the hat on the far left!" Exodia Necros sent a wave of darkness at the hat, which easily succumbed and was vaporized. Suddenly two forms jumped out of it, and landed off to the side. They were revealed as magicians with simple flowing red robes and even darker red staffs.

"You triggered my quick-play card, Magister School which generates two Magister Tokens(500/500) in defense mode." Although Drake had two new monsters to work with, he also knew that Exodia Necros had gotten stronger since the hats counted as tokens and therefore it was battle. And now there were only two hats left with which to defend themself.

Now Sebushimi had a chance to strike them down with the power of the Deathstrike. He only had two choices, so he had to make the right one. It was what was now the right, or now the left. Pick and choose, that's all it was. Even if he did guess wrong he'd be able to attack the other hat, reducing the challenge. "Deathstrike the right hat!" The tendrils shot straight out and pierce into the hat, but there was no cry from within. Again he guessed wrong.

"Heh, fine. I'll discard a card from my hand to destroy one of your Magister Tokens and then remove two more magic cards from my cemetery to revive it. Then I sacrifice it, sending my Embodiment of Death (2000/1300) to even greater power. Now it will attack the remaining hat!" Embodiment of Death raised its arms and sent wave after wave of bandages at the one remaining untried hat. Deep within it Drake stands at the ready, Serenity on the ground behind him.

"You've forgotten that your target was Serenity, and as my partner I can defend her! So Magister Token, get in the way of the attack!" The red robed magician threw himself in the path of the bandages and was sliced in half by them, exploding into digital fragments. Since it was in defense mode Drake didn't take any damage, however the charade was over now. With the correct hat discovered, the two hats faded away, leaving Drake and Serenity clear for the eye to see.

"So at last you come out of hiding." Drake blinked and turned around at the sound of that voice, and discovered a surprising sight. Dalin and Kai now stood with Ryu, Autumn, and Kirani. At this rate he was expecting Yugi or one of those guys to show up for no apparent reason. What the heck were all of them doing here anyways?

"Dalin huh? Surprised to see you here. Same goes for you Kai. But as interesting as it is that we've all somehow congregated here, I've got a duel to continue. So now that's it's my turn, I draw!" He grabbed another card off his deck and fanned out his three cards. Suddenly Tokime noticed that Drake's hand was too big, considering that he had been top decking just the turn before.

"How the heck do you have three cards? You should only have one!" Drake smirked and decided that maybe now was the right time to mention the effects involved with his Magister Tokens. After all, they were a key part of his strategy in defending the two of them and pulling ahead.

"Whenever a Magister Token is destroyed I get to draw a card. That's how I have three. Now if you don't mind, I think I'm going to place these three cards onto the field. Now that's all I can do." He stood strong and ready with only three cards between him and the two deadly monsters. And Serenity had no turn, because she had no playable cards and couldn't draw during this turn.

"We're gonna die. There isn't a way to win this." Drake didn't look back at Serenity as she spoke these words. Instead he stood confidently in front of her, keeping himself between her and their two opponents. There was no backing down in this instance, and no slowing down either. There was no lose in this situation, there couldn't be. He wouldn't let Serenity down.

"We won't die. Remember, I promised I'd protect you. And do I ever break a promise?" Even though he wasn't look, Drake knew that she was shaking her head, giving him all the answer he needed. Tokime just smirked and snapped another card off his deck, unimpressed by Drake's seemingly unfounded attitude.

"I'll play UN Grant, which lets me draw two from the bottom of my deck, to give me the cards I need to activate Magic Shard Excavation. By dumping my other two cards I can retrieve and replay my Blessing of Exodia magic card. That means more life points for me doesn't it?" His life points once again shot up, putting him at double the starting amount. Not only hadn't he lost any life points during the whole duel, but he had the strongest monster at 6300, and the most life points at 8000. (TLP: 8000)

"Now, Exodia Necros, Obliterate Serenity!" He knew that Drake would defend, but he also knew that it would just force Drake to waste his own cards on protecting her. He smirked as Drake's middle card flipped up, revealing the Mechanical Magic Mirror card. Tokime couldn't think of any useful magic cards in his cemetery to play, so it seemed pointless.

"You don't look worried? I guess you forgot that it talks about my opponent's graveyard, not the attacker's. Therefore I'll play Weakening of Attack from Emilio's cemetery in order to negate your attack and end the battle phase!" Necros' attack fizzled against the energy field, leaving Tokime with nothing left to do but declare the end of his turn. Even though he had failed to defeat either with that attack, he was certain that Sebushimi would defeat Serenity in this next move.

"Time for the Deathstrike Attack! Finish off the little Wheeler girl!" Drake smirked and flipped up left face down card, revealing a spinning ring that deflected each of the oncoming bandages. It was Drake's quick-play card, Ring of Defense which stopped all life point damage from one source. That meant Serenity was safe from the effect damage that could be dealt by Embodiment of Death.

"Fool! I knew you'd waste your set card protecting her! So I'll play the magic card Death Strike! This lets me reactivate Embodiment of Death's initial effect, so say goodby to the last of your life points little girl, and to your soul!" Drake's body went numb at these words and he watched helplessly as the deadly bandages crashed into her body, lifting her up and tossing her back to the ground like she was a rag doll. When she hit, her eyes were staring blankly upwards with that same lifeless stare that had been on his sister, and on Kirani. (SLP: 0)

He fell to his knees, his eyes staring straight ahead. He had failed. Once again he had let someone down, and now a third person was left in the same way his sister was. Only this time he couldn't blame some evil psycho, he had only himself to blame. It was the fear of his own power that did this to her. He was at fault. "It's my fault."

Sebushimi threw back his head and laughed, raising his arms to the sky as he rejoiced in finally defeating one of his opponents. And now that Serenity was finished he....he was screwed. "But wasn't she....damn it! She was the wrong target. Fine, at least I'll finish this duel and get the other prize we were after. The Heart of Darkness! Now Embodiment of Death, tear Drake apart! Spill his lifeblood on the ground just as Serenity's has been!"

Drake barely noticed the razor sharp bandages that were headed straight for him. He just kept his head down, staring at the ground in a daze. He kept mumbling something under his breath over and over again. Sebushimi laughed as his creature's attack made it's final approach towards Drake, ready to finish him off. It was all over, and he had won!

"Sebushimi....does the blood that lies on your hands make you feel powerful? Do you feel like a man now that you've caused the death of an innocent? Was this what you wanted? Was this what you had planned out? Killing us just for your own desires?! I live with blood on my hands, with the taste of blood on my lips, and it burns me! Now I'm gonna make you burn! Burn at my hands you bastard!" Drake's final card flipped up and revealed a large cylinder, which pulled in the bandages and then all of the monster.

Sebushimi backed up, realizing exactly what was happening. But it seemed impossible. He had won the duel, he should have won! "Die Sebushimi, die at the hands of your own partner! Magic Cylinder, redirect the attack at Exodia Necros!" Embodiment of Death was hurled out of the cylinder straight at Exodia Necros. And there was no stopping it with the final effect of the death creature, as it was it's own attack. Exodia Necros casually batted Embodiment of Death aside, ripping it apart with a single fist. (SLP: 0)

The Armani wearing duelist gripped his head and screamed his horror to the endless sky as the Seal of Orichalcos took his soul, leaving him dull and lifeless on the ground. Now it was just Drake against Tokime and his now seventy-three hundred attack power Exodia Necros with all it's defenses. Tokime scoffed at Sebushimi's defeat, feeling that he wouldn't fall for such an obvious trap and be defeated in such a manner. Now Drake truly couldn't recover, not when he had only chance left to draw the needed card.

With a burning fire in his eyes Drake took hold of the top card of his deck and started to pull...but stopped. Flashing in his mind were familiar images. Those of his duel with Yami not long ago. He had unleashed such awful darkness, and he had been terrified of the power of his heart and his item. And there was something else as well. Serenity had told him something right before he dueled Taichi at Battle City. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The punk duelist sat down on the bed, biting back a cry of pain as a shimmering web of fire sliced through his back and his ribs, shattering his mind into thousands of pieces for that brief moment. He leaned over, ignoring the twist of agony that shot through his gut, and started to pull his boots on, one at a time._

_Drake yelped in surprise as Serenity gently but forcefully pulled him upright so she could look him in the eye. The intense look that he found in those brown eyes shocked him, and he realized abruptly that he wasn't the only one who cared about the outcome of this duel. The young teenage girl in front of him cared as well, and it seemed to him that she cared about everyone and everything. She was...an amazing person. But she was young and she didn't understand a lot of things._

_"The reason you can't go is more complex then what I said before. Even if you were in perfect condition I'd still say you can't go. If you go out there, duel your hardest, get your revenge by killing Taichi and then freeing Kirani...what then? Do you honestly think that she'd be willing to accept you after you killed someone to bring her back? Kirani wouldn't want anyone's blood spilled on her account!"_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The same was true of Serenity. She wouldn't want him to become ruthless and violent, to be consumed by his own darkness in order to get revenge for her. She'd want him to do it the right way. He had to contain his own emotions, and to know the difference between what he wanted to do and what he needed to do. He had to find a balance. "It's my draw, and this one move will end you forever!" With those words his item blazed to life, a golden aura erupting around him, the Eye of Ra clear upon his forehead.

He held one hand over the Millennium Disc, a smile on his face as he stared down his opponent. He could feel all the emotions running through everyone on the island, could in that one moment feel the feelings of everyone on the planet. It faded into the background, and he knew that at this very moment another battle was going on in the temple, between light and dark. Now his own battle had to be waged, and somehow he knew it wasn't with this loser.

"I play this card: Heart of Light!" Tokime took a step back at these words, watching in horror as it's power erupted across the field, a bright all consuming light that made the Seal of Orichalcos barely visible beneath it's power. The symbol of light was shining clear upon Drake's forehead, now superimposed over the Eye of Ra. He had not only unlocked the full power of the Millennium Disc, but unlocked a part of himself. The Heart of Light.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The five men shielded their eyes as the light rose on the field that they were viewing. It was so bright as to be nearly blinding. "But this is impossible. One person possessing the Heart of Light and the Heart of Darkness....it shouldn't be possible. That much power in one person shouldn't exist!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's time to restart the duel Tokime, at least in some ways we will. First the Heart of Light makes us take our cemeteries and shuffle them into our decks. The we get to draw hands of six cards. That's not all it does, but just wait and see." The two duelists did as they had to, taking all their cards in the grave and shuffling them back into the deck before drawing new cards.

Tokime grimaced as he saw Exodia Necros' dark coloring fade until it was the color of a normal Exodia. It's power remained, but all of it's effects were now gone, its defenses shattered all because of Drake's new Heart card. Without those cards he couldn't stop anything Drake wanted to do.

"The Heart of Light has several special effects, but I want to show you that I don't need it to win a duel. Watch me as I summon Blood Magician-Magician of Purgatory(1400/1700)!" Drake's monster took shape on the field, revealing a magician in blood red robes, blue skin on it's face, the only part of it's skin that could be seen. Instead of holding a normal staff or wand, it held a double-ended scythe with a wicked looking edge to it. A mist rolled out from under and around it, speaking of great power despite it's mediocre stats.

"Whenever a magic card is activated Blood Magician gains a magic counter, and I can remove them to destroy a monster on the field with an attack equal to the number I remove times seven hundred or less. Therefore I would need to remove eleven magic counters to defeat Exodia Necros at it's current level. On the other hand, I've got the method to defeating it right here in my hand!" He took one of his other cards and slipped it into a magic zone, watching as it appeared in front of him.

"I play Effect Economics, which means nobody has to pay life points for any sort of effect. It also grants Blood Magician it's first magic counter. Now I'll put into play School of Black Magic, which lets me place a magic counter on any card capable of holding a magic counter. All it costs is 500 life points each time I do so. Of course with Effect Economics there is no cost, therefore Blood Magician will now gain infinite magic counters!" Blood Magician slammed his staff down on the ground, and glowing spheres of energy rose up from the mist and soared into it's weapon. With all that power it could easily destroy Exodia Necros.

"I use it's effect to cut down Exodia Necros and still have infinite magic counters remaining!" Blood Magician slashed with his weapon, sending sickles of flame racing towards Exodia Necros. The former forbidden was sliced in half by those flying blades of fire, turning it into nothing but a memory that past away. Even the dust of Exodia Necros was burned away by the flame.

"I'm now going to add another card into the mix. Magic Magnification Device! This little magic card allows me to increase the attack of all of my magicians by the number of magic counters that are in play. And since I have an infinite amount of magic counters....that means Blood Magician(Infinite/1700) has more than enough power to defeat you an infinite number of times!" Tokime's legs could no longer hold his weight as he stared straight at what was to be his demise. Everyone outside the Seal was also impressed with Drake's infinite loop combo, even Autumn who ran more than one infinite loop.

"Cutting you down would bring me a great deal of pleasure, however that's not what I'm doing. Ending you would unlock the Seal of Orichalcos, and it would take with it each soul that has been lost in this duel. That would mean Serenity was lost for good, and I won't allow that to happen. I can break the Seal with the Heart of Light, or the Heart of Darkness. But neither can bring her back. Therefore I'm going to have to do something drastic and use one of the two remaining cards in my hand." He took the card and turned it around, revealing a very familiar image.

"I combine the power of the Heart of Darkness together with the great strength of the Heart of Light in order to create the Heart of Balance! Witness my truest power!" A tornado of power surged up around him, two of them, both twining around him, vying for control. One forged of darkness, the other of pure light. And they converged upon him and were absorbed by him and into him.

When it all dimmed down Drake stood just where he had been, seemingly unchanged. However his eyes were a milky white, and the symbol of balance was prominent on his forehead in place of the symbol of light. He had unlocked a power that even he could barely comprehend, a power so great that it was making him act in ways he never thought possible. He had more power than any one person ever before, and that power was facing down Tokime.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The Heart of Balance in a single person. Then the only way is to bring down Daisuke Ihachi. Only with the power of the Heart of Balance can we bring order. It must be done!" The five robed men turned, settling their gazes upon three men who stood just outside their circle. One in midnight black robes, one in white, and the last in brown. These were the ones that were needed, these were the ones that would be sent.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"In order to create balance there can be no concept of something for nothing. There must be an equivalent exchange. In order for the Seal of Orichalcos to restore a person's soul it must have another soul in place of the one it gave up. Tokime, I grant the Seal of Orichalcos your soul." The suited duelist just shook his head, denying what was coming for him. It didn't seem possible that one being could possess this much power, and yet here it was in front of him.

"Blood Magician, strike down Tokime so that I may grant the Seal of Orichalcos his soul in order to return Serenity her own soul. Inferno of Blood!" Blood Magician raised his double-ended scythe high over his head and then swung it down, burying it halfway into the ground. A crack shot across the ground straight towards Tokime, and then it swerved around him, forming a circle.

"No....no! LEAVE ME ALONE! AHHHHH!!!!!!" His cries went unheard as a raging pillar of scarlet flames exploded around him, taking the last of his life points and passing his soul from his body and into the Seal of Orichalcos. At that same moment Drake reached out with the power he possessed and snatched free Serenity's soul, allowing it to settle back into her body. (TLP: 0)

The Seal fed, Drake's patience was ended. Gesturing vaguely with one hand he sent a wave of power into the Seal of Orichalcos, and it shattered like so much glass. Even Dalin, now once again in control of his full faculties, couldn't help but be amazed by such astonishing power. Even with the power of the Heart of Justice he hadn't been able to break the Seal of Orichalcos, merely move it to a different target. But Drake broke the seal like it was nothing.

Drake knelt down over Serenity and swept one hand over her, and when it was past her wounds were completely healed. He gestured to Dalin, and Dalin felt the waves of power wash over him. It was not painful, but soothing. It cleared his mind, and healed him of his wounds. All damage he had taken from his duel with Rose was gone, no evidence of it remaining. Even his clothing had been restored.

Slowly Drake, his eyes still that milky white and the symbol still upon his forehead, turned to fully face the others, and he spoke. "There is some darkness that I feel out there, some chaotic essence that must be corrected. I am compelled to seek it out, and therefore I must. Travel on to the palace, and you'll find that the reason you were all sent here was to eliminate a potential threat to these people called Dartz. At the moment the Pharaoh and Kaiba are dueling him, and the situation is grave. They may require your assistance, so grant them that. I must leave."

A fierce wind whipped around his body, and then he was gone. He didn't leave in a flare of dramatics, he just seemed to blink out of existence. The power that he now possessed was so enormous that he was acting merely on instinct, not knowing exactly what he was doing as he kept going. The assembled duelists stood there for several seconds and then turned their gazes to the temple. For now, that was their target.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake appeared in what appeared to be a small temple, with statues of someone wearing a strange Noh mask lining the walls. He walked forwards casually, listening to the sounds of chanting going on behind a large set of doors.

Stopping directly in front of the doors he raised one hand, palm outwards, and unleashed his will. Calling upon the balance of forces that resided within the door itself, he turned the energies back on themself, and the result was disastrous. A thundering explosion rocked the building as the doors pulled in on themselves. In moments there was a dense metal ball in place of the doors.

Row upon row of men and women in plain clothing and others in robes stood along the sides of the room. The entire room stretched three or four hundred feet forwards and about half that distance outwards. There had to be at least a few thousand people in the room, and all were chanting and offering supplications up to the five men that stood in a darkened circle at the end of the room.

"Whoever you are, you are twisting the balance of the world with your actions. Chaos will be unleashed if you continue as you are, so I must ask you to stop. If you don't, I'll be forced to take action." Despite his words the chanting didn't seem to stop, but there was a reaction to it. By the time he was half-way down the room he had company. Three men appeared out of nowhere, each wearing a different colored full-body robe. One in black, another in brown, and the last in white.

"Stand aside or be destroyed." Drake's words had no affect on any of these men. In fact, they seemed quite confident that he was the one who wasn't going to pass. Each one raised an arm at him, and unleashed their power. Three streams of different colored energy stretched out for him, black, white, and brown. Dipping into the impossible well of power that rushed through him Drake raised a barrier that blocked the attacks, stopping them cold.

"So be it. I have a goal in front of me, and I must reach it. You three are standing in my way. Now learn what happens to those who get between me and my goals!" Clenching his fists he expanded his power in a giant sphere that crashed into the three men, sending them flying through the air. With their threat out of the way he disbanded the spherical aura and walked up to the dais where the five men were chanting in a circle around what appeared to be a small white Noh mask.

"Step down or be destroyed. It is as simple as that." When he got no response but a continuation of chanting he reached deep down into the well of power that flowed through him and summoned up the power that would let him destroy them to their very cores. Somehow he knew that the power he was about to unleash would wipe out even their souls, and though it seemed odd, it also seemed that the power was telling him that was the necessary method.

_**THEY WILL STEP DOWN ONLY WHEN COMMANDED, FOR THEIR PURPOSE IS TO SERVE.**_ Drake reeled backwards under what was not a mental assault, but rather a presence in his mind so vast and incomprehensible that it seemed to crush him underneath it's very existence. Using the energies in his body as a buoy he raised his head and saw a simple robe of scarlet, much like that worn by the three men who had assaulted him. The only difference was this robe was supported by the air, and there was no facial covering. Instead the Noh mask now covered the face. It was a floating robe and mask with no body, and it was the source of the voice.

_**DAISUKE, I UNDERSTAND YOUR DESIRE TO INSTILL BALANCE. IT IS INGRAINED INTO THE POWER THAT FLOWS THROUGH YOUR BODY, THE POWER THAT LONG AGO SEALED ME INTO AN AGELESS PRISON. BECAUSE IT WAS THAT POWER'S PURPOSE I BEAR NO ILL WILL. I TOO HAVE A PURPOSE THAT I MUST CARRY OUT, AND SO I SHALL ENTREAT YOU TO NEGATE THE BALANCE, AND ALLOW ORDER TO REIGN.**_

As he stumbled away from the figure, his mind and body reverberating with the voice, Drake realized that not all that he felt was pain. There was pleasure, indescribable unstoppable irrevokable pleasure. This must be what hearing the voice of God felt like...and it this was not God. He didn't know what this was. "What do you want of me?"

The scarlet robed figure moved towards him, and he lashed out with his power, trying to stop its advance. A torrent of explosive energies generated by one of the greatest sources of power in this world or any other ripped from his hands and assailed the figure. Every ounce of that power vanished moments before touching the scarlet robes, and Drake knew that somehow this creature had more power than he did.

_**AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BALANCE OF THE WORLD YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU A PURPOSE TO PROTECT THAT BALANCE. YET AS A HUMAN BEING, MORTAL, IMPERFECT, AND MORAL, YOU HAVE ANOTHER PURPOSE. YOU MUST BALANCE THOSE TWO PURPOSES AGAINST EACH OTHER. ONE PURPOSE WILL KEEP THIS WORLD AS IT IS, IN A STATE WHERE TERRORISM, HATRED, AND INSANITY RULE OVER ALL. I HEED YOU TO CALL UPON YOUR HUMANITY AND CHOOSE THE BETTER PATH. MY POWER CAN BRING ORDER TO THE WORLD, AND ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS YOUR ACCEPTANCE.**_

"How can I now that you can really do this? Preaching about bringing order to the world is one thing, but really doing it is another. I can tell you have plenty of power, but power doesn't accomplish things on it's own. I've learned that quite recently. Offer me proof." The figure tilted its head to the side and then gave him a brief nod before flowing forwards across the stone. Now it stood in front of him and raised a robed arm. Despite the fact that he knew it had no hand, he felt a tangible brush across his cheek, and then two hands cupped his face.

Drake's entire body spasmed as his eyes and mind saw something that was beyond human comprehension, beyond words known and utterable by his species or any other. It was perfection. A world of feelings and thoughts so pure and orderly that his mind could barely fathom it all, and under that assault of pure order his mind began to crumble.

Moments before he hit the brink he was pulled back, leaving that perfect world and coming to rest back in his own. He fell to his knees in the front of the figure, and did what he hadn't done in a long time. He broke down and cried.

He did not cry because of the near loss of his mind, or for pleasurable pain that he still experienced when this creature spoke. Instead he cried because the world around him was so disorderly, so chaotic that it threatened to rip him apart. The world was a terrible place, and it was painful to be without that perfection that he experienced when this being touched him. "Please....I don't want it all to be like this. Make it stop, please?"

That masked face tilted to look down at him, and Drake swore he saw it smile down at him. That feeling of a smile washed away a bit of the pain, making it bearable. That smile made him understand how these others that surrounded him were able to stand being in this world. They had his presence to make it all feel right again.

**_THE WORLD IS CHAOS. YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED A SMALL TASTE OF THE PERFECT ORDER THAT I AM CAPABLE OF BRINGING TO THIS WORLD. ONLY THROUGH MY PRESENCE CAN THIS BE DONE, FOR I AM ALL THAT ORDER IS. IT IS MY PURPOSE TO BRING ORDER, THEREFORE I SHALL DO SO. PART OF MY PRESENCE IS SEALED AWAY BY THE HEARTS OF MAN, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ALL OF THEM MADE BY THE HEART OF BALANCE. WHEN THIS SEAL IS BROKEN MY PRESENCE WILL PERVADE THIS WORLD, AND I CAN BRING ORDER._**

**_ALL WILL BE MADE RIGHT IN THIS WORLD, ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR PURPOSE AS A HUMAN BEING. DAISUKE IHACHI WAS NOT PUT ON THIS EARTH TO FIGHT, TO DUEL, OR EVEN TO RELEASE ME. HE WAS PUT ON THIS EARTH TO CHOOSE. NOW DAISUKE, MAKE YOUR CHOICE. SET THE WORLD FREE OF THE CHAINS THAT BIND IT IN THE AGONY THAT YOU FEEL. SAY THE WORD, AND EVERYTHING CAN BE PUT RIGHT. EVEN YOUR SISTER._**

Whether it was the perfect world he had experienced, the vastly powerful presence that was invading his mind, the creature's words, or the simple mention of his sister that caused Drake to make his choice could not be said. There was simply no way to know what made him make his choice. All that could be known was his choice. "I release you from your bondage."

A prism of energy exploded from Drake's body, sending arcs of energy that moved between every color of the spectrum all that once. These arcs danced across the room, filling it with a heavenly light. Drake and robed figure were consumed by it, a single beacon of light that shone brighter than anything else. The seal was broken.

From that single point of light a beam of that spectral energy shot through the ceiling of the temple they resided within. It did not break through, it merely passed through on it's way into the sky. At the apex of it's flight it shattered into a million pieces, and spread throughout the land. Across the world people looked up and stared as that beautiful energy created a new sky, one that surpassed the old in the feel of freedom that it allowed people.

In a place in the sky that was unseen by most of the rest of mankind a battle was being waged between a giant leviathan of a creature, summoned by the power of Dartz and the Orichalcos, and dozens of monsters summoned by Dalin, Kai, Kaiba, and all the others. This battle came to an abrupt halt as the prismatic energy slid like a sheet across the sky, and a beam of that light struck the leviathan. When the light faded, there was nothing left of the beast but a quickly fading energy. The other monsters were swept away equally as quickly.

When at last the process was completed and that light had become the sky, the world held a new hue to it that seemed to inspire peacefulness. People couldn't help but stop and stare up into the sky and wonder exactly what miracle had just occurred to create such a beautiful and wondrous effect.

Every person got their answer as in their mind's eye they saw a face appear in front of them. Only it wasn't a face in the normal manner, but rather a strange white mask with a fringe of scarlet coming down from the top of a hood. No features could be seen beneath this mask, not even eyes. Yet those watching felt relaxed and at peace seeing it. In their minds it began to speak, and it spoke in every language at once.

_**PEOPLE OF EARTH. THE REIGN OF CHAOS UPON THIS WORLD HAS ENDED. I AM EIKYUU, THE BRINGER OF ORDER. I HAVE BEEN CALLED UPON AND TASKED WITH SHAPING THIS WORLD INTO A PLACE OF PERFECT ORDER. THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND YOUR WARRING WAYS, FOR PEACE HAS COME AT LAST. KNOW NOW NOT FEAR OR HATRED, BUT MERELY PURPOSE.**_

_**EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE. WHEN YOUR PURPOSE IS BEING FULFILLED THE WORLD CAN BE IN ORDER. ALLOW ME INTO YOUR HEARTS AND I CAN HELP YOU FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE. TOGETHER WE CAN BRING ABOUT THE ORDER THAT YOU AND I SO GREATLY DESIRE. TOGETHER WE WILL FASHION A PERFECT WORLD. TOGETHER UNITED WE CAN DO ANYTHING!**_

_**ALL YOU MUST DO IS OPEN YOUR HEARTS TO ME AND I WILL FILL YOU WITH PURPOSE. OPEN YOUR HEARTS SO THAT WE ALL MAY BECOME ONE. THE CHOICE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE TO MAKE. WALK NOW INTO THE LIGHT OF ORDER AND ALL SHALL BE WELL. I AM EIKYUU, THE IMMORTAL ONE, THE BRINGER OF ORDER, THE GOD OF ORDER. EMBRACE ME.**_

One by one the people of Earth fell to their knees and began to speak in words that were drawn from their lips as if they had been ingrained there for eternity. Together they raised up one voice for all the world to hear, and it proclaimed their beliefs.

"Each person has a purpose. Failure causes lose of purpose. Without purpose we are nothing. We follow the guidance of the Immortal One without fail. We do only as he wishes. His purpose is our purpose. We are basked in the Immortal One's vast wisdom and power. Without it we are nothing, for he is our purpose.

He is our life. To abandon the Immortal One is to abandon all of life. To abandon life is to choose death. All those who choose death are cast into the world of the dead, where all is chaos. Order is life, and life is Order. Chaos is death, and death is Chaos.

We embrace the divinity of the Immortal One into ourselves, embracing his all consuming purpose, and we are embraced by his light, by his Order. Embraced in his Order we are free from Chaos. We know only his purpose and we are freed from the horrors of death, of chaos, of purposelessness.

The Immortal One is Order, the Immortal One is Life, the Immortal One is Purpose, the Immortal One is Light, and the Immortal One is the true God of man. By embracing our true God we are freed of all worries, all doubts, all fears. By embracing our true God we become one with him, become one with the Immortal One and ascend to the heavens with him. By embracing the Immortal One we mankind can receive our eternal reward. We seek not chaos, but the power of the Immortal One. The Power of Order. WE EMBRACE THE POWER OF ORDER, WE EMBRACE EIKYUU, GOD OF ORDER!"

The world rejoiced, for all was well, all was perfect. There could be nothing of the old left in this world, it would all be purged away to clear a path to the new. This purge could be considered only one thing, and it spoke of the chaos that was and the order that would soon be. It had been given a name long ago.

The End.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	11. The Darkness Of Order

Author's Notes: Here it is, the true beginning of the arc now that the main threat has been unveiled. Get ready for action packed duels and deadly combat. Everything you thought you knew about my the world has just gone out the window, and the rules are entirely different. So let's get going shall we? 

**Chapter Ten: The Darkness of Order**

"Shall we begin?" The member of the inner circle who asked this question did not dare to look up at his master while speaking. But once he finished speaking he looked up, not looking directly at his master's face. That would be a profanity. He saw enough though to know that his master had just nodded.

"Finally. They won't last even ten minutes against us." The speaker was the man in the black robe, and behind him were his companions. This was the moment, now they would be allowed to strike out, to take down all those who dared to oppose the new order that Great Lord Eikyuu was bringing to the world. All those standing in the way would suffer their wrath. They were the Knights of Order. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Having Seto Kaiba as part of your group can prove to be particularly useful. Especially when you have no other available means of transportation. Kaiba had called in a Kaiba Corporation helicopter to airlift them to a place where they could rest and learn what was going on. That was the military aircraft carrier that had been tracking the strange weather of the area that had been caused by Dartz's attempt to summon the Leviathan.

The strange new sky certainly had them worried, as did the face and voice they had heard, yet they knew that whatever the trouble was they could conquer it. They had defeated people like Pegasus, Yami Malik, Taichi, and Ihachi. Certainly some masked weirdo calling himself a god wouldn't be any different or more difficult than defeating Ihachi had been. All they had to do was take some time to plan and figure out how to strike. After all, this person wasn't coming to them, so they needed to figure out where he was.

Just moments ago they had stopped the helicopter at the edge of the island so that Kirani could take her yacht. She was going to head back to shore and see what was going on there while they discussed things on the military vessel. Essentially she just wanted to make sure her boat wasn't left behind, so she'd meet them once they were rested up and ready to continue to land on the copter.

Kai looked out the window as the helicopter came down for a landing on the massive boat which was intended to harbor numerous aircrafts. There were a few on the deck, but mostly it was just crew doing work. He squinted at them, trying to see how they were looking at the helicopter. Unfortunately his suspicions that this might not be the best place to come didn't pan out, as the crewmen weren't even bothering to pay attention to the helicopter unless they were the direct flight crew for it. Trained soldiers. Of course they wouldn't stray.

Kai's thoughts on this strange group being the same as the Free Masons and the Illumanati had yet to be proved true, however he was certain that at least some people had accepted that guy Eikyuu's announcement. They all had to be on guard, otherwise there was no telling what trouble they'd get into. These people had been targeting them long before they ever took action with Eikyuu coming out and telling the people of Earth to accept him as God.

"This place....it feels too pure to be a military vessel." The others cast a glance at Dalin who was staring out at the boat, just as Kai had been. Yami cast a glance down at Dalin's four-fingered ring, an item that gave him the power to detect darkness. So if this carrier was too pure, that meant he wasn't detecting enough darkness. But what exactly did that mean?

Before any of the others could ask the obvious question Dalin gestured for them to remain quiet. Then he shot a glance at the pilot, and then down at the crew who were now arranged around the helicopter as it finally came to a stop. His look was obvious. He didn't want to explain around these people, and he'd do so when they had a private room to themselves.

Stepping out of the plane the eleven of them gathered in a small cluster, watching the soldiers that stood in front of them in neat little rows. A man in a fancier uniform stepped forward, signifying that he was the one in charge. "Welcome to the U.S.S. Gertrude. She's a fine vessel, and we're all proud to have you aboard. As a matter of fact a few of the crew members are quite big fans of some of you. That's what happens when some of your crew is as young as ours."

The elderly captain brushed his mustache briefly, frowning at the lack of response. Obviously he had expected at least a chuckle from them, but instead he had only received tight-lipped stares. "Well, I've informed the men that none of them are to challenge you to a duel. I'm sure you aren't in the mood to have to deal with a bunch of amateur fan boys. I'll have Petty Officer Talon lead you to your room. I hope you enjoy your stay."

A younger man with a shaved head an blue eyes stepped out in front of them, taking their attention to him. He saluted crisply, and then snapped back into attention. "Follow me. And don't get lost along the way." He turned sharply and started walking at a fast pace towards what appeared to be an entrance into the rest of the ship. The group followed after him, casting glances over their shoulders at the rest of the crew, still nervous about exactly how friendly these people were.

As soon as they were out of sight the captain sighed and turned to face the other crew members who had gathered to see the group of duelists onto the ship. One of them stepped forward from the back row, his black hair cut short. He looked somewhat odd in a naval uniform, but he carried himself well, with the grace of an experienced warrior. "That went rather well I think."

The captain nodded and casually dismissed the rest of the flight crew. Now only had and the black haired man remained in range of hearing anything that might be said. "When you will you take action?" The black haired naval officer smirked slightly, and his body shimmered as a black robe formed around him, covering both his body and his face.

"Soon enough. Don't worry, they won't be any threat at all. Just make sure you take care of your part." With a grim set to his features the captain nodded once more, then gave the black robed man a deep bow. As much as he knew this was for the greater good of the world, he still felt odd giving the orders that he had been told to give. It was necessary, and yet still felt slightly wrong.

"All will be as you asked Lord D'harim. We await your further command." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This entire thing doesn't feel right. It's a military vessel, therefore people should have been engaged in combat, or trained for it. Something or someone is purifying this vessel so that no ill will can be sensed. The problem is I can't be sure if it isn't the same light that went through the sky that did this to everyone or not. Everywhere I go seems too pure." Dalin's revelation left them all just a little bit more nervous and even Kaiba, who despite the things he'd seen occasionally tried to deny the existence of magic, felt on edge.

"Well, if we can't find out whether these people are good or not, we should at least figure out whether this Eikyuu is good or bad. I mean, we're sure that it was people worshiping him that tried to attack us using the Seal of Orichalcos right?" The others nodded at what Ryu had said. It was true, they had each been attacked by someone wielding the Seal of Orichalcos and preaching the same type of stuff about order that Eikyuu had spoken about.

"That's what thing that seems odd to me. These people are in no way connected with Dartz. We know that since this wave of energy got rid of him completely. Yet these 'sendings' as you say they were called each used the Seal. How did people not associated with Dartz get that power?" The others considered what Yami had just said, none of them having thought of such a thing themself. Of course none of them had known about the other threat while confronting their own threat.

"There's more to it than that. You said earlier that each person using the Seal of Orichalcos must empower it with a fragment of the Orichalcos stone. Yet none of the people we faced had such a thing." Autumn's insight also cleared the air, bringing up more questions than it answered. It seemed that so far they would just be going in circles, figuring out the questions that needed to be asked instead of the answers. Those would come later.

Kai was the next one to offer his opinion, and it was on something he had been contemplating for awhile now. It hadn't made sense to him before, but after learning about Dartz it did. "These guys didn't think much of Dartz, they just wanted him out of the way. So they lead us on a merry chase to Dartz's Island so that we could get rid of him. But it may have been more than that. I think they also wanted us away from the rest of the world so that it would be harder for us to do anything."

Frustrated more than satisfied the group separated, going to the different cots that had been set out in the room for them. It was just a place where crew members could sleep, though a bit smaller. With thoughts of the troubles that might lie ahead deep in their minds, the group drifted off to sleep.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joey woke up abruptly when his highly sensitive nose detected a strange odor. It was a mixed scent of sweat and something else, like oil. And there was also noise around him. Groaning he pushed himself up into a sitting position, and discovered that he was no longer in the room. Instead he was sitting in what looked to be a huge boiler room. It was the ship's engine!

Casting his gaze around the room he found that there was a circle of crewmen around him stretching about fifty feet in diameter. He gulped as he realized that it was just about enough room to fit a duel in. Shooting a glance to his right he saw Kaiba lying on the ground, and to Kaiba's right was Yugi. Both were asleep.

"Hey, rich-boy. Wake up." Shoving the brunette a couple of times managed to get the arrogant CEO to rose himself from sleep. He assessed the situation and cursed quietly under his brother, staring at the silent navy personal. He moved to the side and got Yugi awake. Upon seeing the situation the pint-sized duelist underwent his personality shift, and became Yami.

The three of them couldn't help but notice their duel disks lying in front of them. Each of them picked up their disk and fitted it over their arm before rising to their feet, ready to take action once they had an opening. Attacking a group of about fifty trained soldiers would be stupid, so they'd have to wait for the moment. "Well now, the three Legendary Warriors isn't that right? Three of the top duelists in the world right at my fingertips. This should be interesting."

The cruel voice that reached their ears seemed to come from everywhere around them. However the source of it became clear as a curl of smoke coalesced into a man in a black robe, his left arm raised, revealing a strange looking duel disk. The part attached to the arm was smaller, and a small oval pod was attached to the left side. There were no plates on it at all, and it was a pitch black color. "Greetings. I am called D'harim. The First Knight of Order. I am the Knight of Darkness. I the am the darkness of Order. I strike from the night and eliminate threats to it. I am the strongest soldier of Eikyuu, and you three are in the way of the coming Order."

As he spoke his strange duel disk activated. The little oval pod extended out from the center part, and then the oval itself separated. It pulled apart to a decent distance, with metal wires between it. Then metal railings moved to connect the two halves of the oval. It was a dueling plate, the field that was used on a duel disk. Only instead of the rougher shape that Kaiba's DD2s had, this one was a simple oval. "This will be a three on two duel, the three of you versus me and a partner I will have. Are you ready to suffer?" (DLP: 4000)

D'harim's partner stepped out of the crowd, revealing him to be the bald Petty Officer Talon. His duel disk was simpler, being just like a DD2 only black like D'harim's was. He raised his disk and extended it, indicating that he was ready to duel. "Dueling the three of you is going to be exciting, I only hope that I don't hold back Lord D'harim." (TLP: 4000)

Seeing no way out of it the three champion level duelists activated their own DD2s, preparing for battle. There were three of them, so they had they advantage of numbers, however Kaiba and Yami had both just experienced a two on one duel that proved powerful cards could make the difference. And Yami's duel with Ihachi also told him much the same. (JLP: 4000, KLP: 4000, YLP: 4000)

Drawing a hand of six Joey decided that he was going to go first. Seeing his hand he felt pleased, and decided that he would start things off strong. After all, why not show them how strong he was by beating these creeps in a duel? Sure he no longer had Helmos, but he didn't need it. "I summon Axe Raider(1700/1150) and set one card face down. That's all."

Kaiba, being the one right next to Joey, was going to be second to go. So he added his next card to his hand and immediately made his play. It would be similar to Joey's, but that wasn't a problem. He wasn't going to be made a fool out of in this duel, he'd crush them beneath his feet. "I summon Blade Knight(1600/1000) and set a card face down. End." His white armored knight appeared next to Joey's axe-wielding warrior. Behind each was a single face-down card.

Yami took his newest card and played it onto the field, revealing the first of his magnet warriors. It might not be the strongest, but he had other cards to back it up. He too wasn't going to commit too much to the opening move against opponents with unknown strategies. "I set one card and bring out Alpha the Magnet Warrior(1400/1700) in attack mode! I'll leave it at that."

D'harim plucked a card free casually of his deck and examined his hand carefully. Then he opened the side panel of his weird disk and slapped a card down in it. "I believe I'll activate the field magic card Seal of Orichalcos. I don't have to tell the three of you what it does by now. Oh, and if you were curious this device is called a Duel Pod. Enhanced technology combining Kaiba Corporation designs and other advanced techniques available only to those in the military. It's quite effective, and much more compact as you've seen. Normally I'd tell you how much more real it makes cards, but the Seal of Orichalcos does that all on it's own!"

The green circle took shape beneath their feet, coming to rest at the feet of the other soldiers, all of whom were watching the duel intently. It seemed they had formed their circle with the intention of surrounding the Seal of Orichalcos. "Now that I've done that, I think I'll set one card face down and place a monster in defense mode. Your turn Talon." The bald duelist nodded and pulled his next card off his deck.

"I set two cards face down. Now I summon Y-Head Dragon(1500/1600). Unfortunately none of us can attack on the first turn, and my monster won't gain power from my partner's Seal of Orichalcos. So I'll just end my turn." Kaiba sneered at the sight of his own monster being played, but felt certain that this amateur wouldn't be able to use it well. The red machine dragon may have been effective in a set, but outside of that set it was useless.

Joey's hand contained five cards with his newest draw. He grinned at the sight of the card he had drawn, and quickly set it on the field next to his first face down card. Then he played another monster. "That little baby will go down for later, and this little baby will come out to play. Gearfreed the Iron Knight(1800/1600)!" The black iron warrior rose up next to Axe Raider, both dominating over Talon's weaker Y-Dragon Head.

"Axe Raider, slice Y-Dragon Head into little bitty pieces!" The warrior let out a battle cry as it leapt towards the machine dragon, swinging its axe down to chop the machine in half. Before it could connect Talon's set card was revealed, and Joey grimaced as he recognized it.

"Monster Relief lets me bring Y-Dragon Head back to my hand. Then I get to replace it with another level four or lower monster. So I replace it with X-Head Cannon(1800/1500)!" The purple machine appeared in place of the red dragon, and trained its weapon barrels on Axe Raider. It fired off twin beams of energy as a counterattack to destroy Joey's Axe Raider. But at the last moment a chain whipped out and wrapped around the cannon monster, diverting it's attack from Axe Raider.

"Sorry buddy, but Kunai with Chain was my first set card. And since I can choose to use either of it's effects or both, I'll chose just to make it an equip card on Axe Raider, shooting it's attack up to 2200. Now slice and dice his X-Head Cannon!" Talon cursed as the axe wielder held the chain taught and proceeded to cut the machine in half horizontally. With it's destruction Talon became the first person to lose any life points, and it was just about to get worse unless he could protect himself. (TLP: 3600)

"Gearfreed, give him another reason why it isn't nice to interrupt people's sleep just so you can force them into a creepy duel. Attack directly!" The iron warrior sliced his blade down across Talon's shoulder, the force sending him stumbling backwards. But he proved his toughness by remaining standing despite the power of Gearfreed's attack. Of course it still took its toll on his life points. (TLP: 1800)

Kaiba smirked at seeing the other duelist dropped to such a pathetic state so soon in the duel. Already down to less than half his life points, and to Wheeler of all people? This guy was definitely no challenge, it'd be easy to take him out. "I'll show you the true power of the XYZ set. X-Head Cannon(1800/1500) in attack mode! Obliterate Talon's last bit of life points!"

Kaiba's monster trained its weapons on Talon and let loose a deadly volley that was equal to the life points that Talon had remaining. And since his set card hadn't been able to protect him during the previous turn, it wouldn't help him now. He was finished. "Kaiba, defeating my partner so quickly? How arrogant. I won't allow it, so I activate my own trap card. Agony!" D'harim's face down card was revealed, and the image was a frightening one. A warrior was lying on his back amongst piles of other soldiers, and dozens of weapons were stuck in his belly. He was obviously in pain.

X-Head Cannon's attack halted abruptly as it's body began to twitch. It was suffering under the power of D'harim's trap card! "Agony is a special trap with an interesting effect. I won't explain it fully since I'm sure you'll learn soon enough. For now just know that it will deal you damage equal to your monster's level times one hundred. So say goodbye to four hundred points." (KLP: 3600)

Unable to make any other move Kaiba declared the end of his turn, and now it was up to Yami to continue the assault. Now neither of their opponent's had any set cards that could help them, and Talon had no monsters. And since a face-down monster can't defend a partner in a tag-duel, Talon was truly open. All Yami had to do was get out at least 1800 points of attack and they'd be finished with one opponent. "I sacrifice Alpha for Jack's Knight(1900/1000) who has more than enough power to finish Talon off. Attack!"

The young knight took Alpha's place. The knight raised his blade and charged at Talon, intent on slicing him up and depleting his life points. Unfortunately he was only half way there before Kaiba's X-Head Cannon jumped into the path of the attack and was cut in half and destroyed. And since it was Kaiba's monster Kaiba took the damage. (KLP: 3100)

D'harim laughed at the incredulous looks on their faces. "Don't you three know anything about pain? X-Head Cannon was in terrible agony, so it committed suicide to abate the pain. The best way to do so was by throwing itself in the way of Jack's Knight's attack. And of course I neglected to mention that the monster affected by Agony loses the same number of attack and defense points as it's controller loses life points. Looks like your attack was blocked Yami." The former Pharaoh growled in annoyance and completed his turn by placing a single card face down on the field.

Now it was once again D'harim's turn, and he seemed greatly interested in both his new and the far left card of his hand that had been waiting. They couldn't tell for sure if he was smirking underneath the dark cloth that covered his face, but they felt that he had to be. "I start by placing a card face down. Next I'm going to introduce you to the card that's going to make this duel so much more interesting. It's my key card in every duel, a card with power great than anything you've ever experienced! This card will make the Seal of Orichalcos look like a cake walk by comparison!"

He raised the card he had drawn over his head, and a sickly purple aura wavered around his body and around the card. "Here it is, Heart of Suffering!" The three duelists gasped, having heard of the Heart cards that Autumn, Ryu, Dalin, and Drake had used. This was similar, and yet the power was different...darker. Even from here they could see the dark purple symbol of suffering glowing from beneath D'harim's hood.

"You may have believed that the Heart cards your friends had are the only ones, but you're wrong! In fact, there are a total of sixteen of them, and you've only heard of the power of six before this! Just wait till you experience part of the power of my Heart of Suffering, then you'll know the difference between the power those weaklings wield, and the power I possess! End turn!" Although the three duelists were worried about the power he had, they felt that a three on one advantage would make things even, and they were sure shortly it would be that way. Talon was a weak duelist.

"Now it's my turn, and I play Payment of Debt! It's power of drawing three cards has given me all that I need. So first I play Frontline Base, which will let me special summon a level four or lower union monster from my hand during each turn. Next I activate Unity Rebirth, which allows me to special summon a low level union monster from my hand and one that can union with it from my graveyard. So here come X-Head Cannon and Y-Dragon Head!" The two monsters emerged onto the field, ready and willing to take Talon's order. He now had two pieces of the puzzle.

"I summon Z-Metal Tank(1500/1600) and then remove all three from play in order to special summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon(2800/2600) from my deck! And to make it worse for you I'll use the power of Frontline Base and special summon my V-Tiger Jet(1700/1200)!" His newest monster joined the mighty mechanical behemoth that was XYZ-Dragon Cannon. It was a green and yellow hovering jet with the head of a tiger.

"I discard to destroy Kaiba's Blade Knight. Then I set a card. Finally I'll activate Halt Play, meaning nobody can activate or set magic or trap cards till the end of Wheeler's next turn." His smirk was broad as XYZ-Dragon Cannon unleashed a barrage of missiles that exploded on Blade Knight's chest, shattering it into thousands of pieces. The group was expecting Kaiba to grimace at this action, but instead he gripped his sides and fell to his knees, crying out in pain.

D'harim laughed to see Kaiba in such a state, and took the time to gloat about it. "Now do you see the power of my Heart of Suffering? Everything you experience, card effects and all, are very much real. And you will feel everything your monsters feel. So Kaiba just felt his entire body being ripped apart. Not very pleasant I'd assume. Now my partner will have XYZ attack Kaiba directly."

The machine launched it's attack, and Kaiba got up the energy to roll to the side. The explosion sent him flying backwards into the Seal, his shirt burned away and some of his chest now a black burnt color. "And now since my partner can't attack without having his attack blocked, he ends his turn. I hope the rest of you are ready for the pain that can come from losing your monsters." (KLP: 300)

Joey grabbed his next card and looked at it, overjoyed at what he saw. His other three cards were good cards, but because of Halt Play some of them were useless at the moment since he couldn't activate or set cards during this turn. He'd have to rely on his monsters...and some luck. "I sacrifice Gearfreed for Maximum Six(1900/1600)! And when Maximum Six is sacrifice summoned I get to roll a die. Depending on the outcome it could become stronger than your XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

The gambler watched the die bounce around, hoping for the best. If it landed on a four or less his monster wouldn't be able to destroy XYZ-Dragon Cannon, but could still take down V-Tiger Jet. If it was a five or a six then his Maximum Six would be able to destroy the machine monstrosity. Suddenly, the outcome was decided. "A four. Damn, that means Maximum Six gains eight hundred attack points, giving it an attack power of twenty-seven hundred. And now I'll use Maximum Six to take down V-Tiger Jet!"

The six armed purple creature jumped up into the air and landed down on V-Tiger Jet. Using the power of its arms it dragged the machine down to the ground and gripped it by one leg and one arm. Then it began to pull. As it did so the bolts on the machine groaned under the stress, and Talon's body quivered as he screamed in pain, feeling his own limbs being stretched apart. With one last heave of strength Maximum Six ripped V-Tiger Jet in half, and Talon fell limp, his body wracked with pain. (TLP: 800)

Since there was no way that Joey would able to play any more cards this turn thanks to Halt Play, it automatically became Kaiba's turn. The rich duelist now held five cards, and one face down card on his field. But now he had a perfect combination in his hand. "I play White Dragon Ritual, and discard a high level monster from my hand to summon Paladin of White Dragon(1900/1400)." A white knight riding a bluish-white dragon shimmered into view in front of him, ready to take flight. But it's target wasn't obvious.

"I played this technique against another duelist not long ago, and it proved quite effective. Watch the rest of it, because I'll call back the monster I discarded for my ritual by using Monster Reborn. Come forth my Blue Eyes(3000/2500)!" Kaiba's legendary white dragon, with more power than any other normal monster in the entire game, took it's rightful place on the field beside the Paladin. If XYZ-Dragon Cannon had ever had any emotions it would be cowering in fear right about now.

"I have every intent of not only crushing Talon in this turn, but making a serious dent in your life points D'harim. So I summon Vorse Raider(1900/1200) to the field to complete my army of powerful monsters. One with three thousand, and two with nineteen hundred. And my Paladin can destroy defense monsters without even blinking an eye, so your set monster is no threat to me. For the first step in my plan, Blue Eyes will destroy the dragon cannon!" Blue Eyes White Dragon launched its Burst Stream attack, washing over the giant mechanical weapon. Talon screamed in agony, feeling the pain of the ultimate attack of the Blue Eyes. (TLP: 600)

"My partner may be in too much pain, but I know his face down card. He activates Power of Unity, which will prevent any monster composed of union monsters from being destroyed in battle. That means his XYZ-Dragon Cannon remains in play, and you can't attack." Kaiba grimaced at his inability to rid the field of the machine, and because of D'harim's interference. Talon's set card flipped up and revealed that it was indeed Power of Unity, so the move worked.

"I may not be able to continue attacking quite yet, but I can swap my Paladin for another Blue Eyes White Dragon. That ends my turn." The knight on the back of the little dragon jumped off and faded away, and each of the duelists present watched as the small dragon grew until it was identical to Kaiba's other dragon. It had grown up into a mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon.

With yet another opportunity to crush their opponents at hand, Yami drew his next card and smirked, realizing he had a way to turn it all around. "Talon, I've drawn the card that will defeat you. The equip card Excalibur, which will double Jack's Knight's attack power for as long as I give up my draw phase! And with thirty-eight hundred attack power he can easily crush your remaining life points. And with this next monster I'll be able to take the attack to D'harim. Come out Beta(1700/1400)!" Jack's Knight, now wielding a shining blade, was joined by the little yellow magnet warrior, both ready to attack.

"Now, Jack's Knight, cut down XYZ!" The knight started to charge forwards, but he was made to pause as D'harim threw back his head and started to laugh. Yami's keen eyes caught D'harim's hand depress a button on his Duel Pod, and watched as the duelist's single face down card was revealed. And it wasn't anything any of the three duelists had ever heard of.

"Prepare to have this duel turn around, as your monsters turn against each other! This trap will not only pit your monsters against each other in a battle to the death that will deal you damage and weaken them, but it will affect you as well. It will drive you insane! No witness the terrible power of my deadly trap card. Dark Mind-Devil's Insanity!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Serenity was jolted awake by her dream, or rather her nightmare. Exactly what it was quickly faded, but she still needed to seek comfort. And there was one person she could think of who had always been there to make things seem better. Her brother. So she got herself out of bed and went over to his bunk. "Big brother, I wanted to talk to...."

She stopped in surprise at seeing his bunk empty. Her first thoughts were bad, but then she merely thought he had gone to the bathroom or something. She started to head back to her own bunk when she spotted another empty bunk. Kaiba's. Those two wouldn't leave at the same time because they might have to be around each other. They hated each other too much for that. And off to the side a third bunk was empty, Yugi's.

Quickly she roused everyone from sleep and told them that the three duelists were gone. Dalin immediately suspected trickery, and began to seek them out using his powers. "They're somewhere below us, at least vaguely. I can feel their presences, only they are being masked by something. Like a barrier or a....damn!" Quickly he grabbed his belongings, the little he could easily carry, and put his duel disk onto his arm. Then he rushed out the door, everyone else following.

"What's going on?" Dalin didn't respond to Mokuba's question as he was busy staring down an officer with a pistol pointed at his face. The large man grimaced and depressed the button that activated his duel disk. The sound of it clanking into place briefly distracted the soldier, and Dalin slugged him. The force of his punch sent the man careening into the wall. Laid out with one punch.

"The thing I felt that seems to be masking them, it's not a barrier. It's a seal. The Seal of Orichalcos, I'm sure of it. We have to get to them immediately before something bad happens!" The others agreed and hurried after him as he started running down the cramped hallway. The place was like a maze, so even with his powers leading him on it would take a while to get there. Who knew what could happen in that time?  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D'harim's laughter was drowned out by the raging screams and cries of the duel monsters of the three duelists. Frothing from the mouth with insane looks in their eyes the monsters launched at each other. Joey's Maximum Six slugged it out, clawing and biting at Axe Raider. The mighty warrior retaliated by cutting Maximum Six with both his weapons, and trying to strangle the blue creature with it's chain.

Jack's Knight had skewered Beta through the stomach, but because Beta wasn't a normal living creature it was struggling while being pinned there. The two white dragons were busy blasting each other, biting and slashing, while the man-beast that was Vorse Raider cut viciously at them with it's blade, while being snapped at by their teeth.

This was not the worst of it though. Yami, Joey, and Kaiba were all in much the same mess. Yami was on the worst receiving end being the weakest, while the much tougher duelists Joey and Kaiba pounded on him and each other. Faces were bloodied, bodies bruised and clothing ripped. Joey, thanks to his fighting nature and Kaiba's previous injury, was winning if such a thing could be said. He was the least bloodied of the three, and that was the best that could be said of it.

At last, after an indeterminate amount of time, the effect of Dark Mind-Devil's Insanity wore off. Kaiba's monsters were gone, the dragons having destroyed each other and Vorse Raider. Joey's Maximum Six was his only remaining monster and it had been reduced to a measly five hundred attack points. Yami had Jack's Knight which had fallen to twenty-one hundred attack power. Unfortunately for the three of them, battle had been conducted in a fairly normal fashion, so damage was done as well. (JLP: 3500, KLP: 0, YLP: 1900)

Without his soul Kaiba couldn't remain standing, and he collapsed to the ground, bleeding and broken. Yami himself was barely able to remain standing, but the tougher Joey kept himself up. He'd experienced similar things before and had been mostly ready for it. He just hoped Yami could last through the pain. "I...end."

D'harim grabbed his next card, smiling beneath his hood. These fools had no idea what they were getting into. He hadn't even invoked his full power, or the full power of the Heart of Suffering. They were going to lose this duel, and it wouldn't be long. "I set a single card face down. That should be enough to easily deal with the two of you weaklings. Now it's my partner's turn. Draw idiot."

Talon struggled to make his move, drawing a card off the top of his deck to give him a total of one card in hand. He swiftly activated it, revealing Pot of Greed. He chuckled idly and slapped both cards onto the field, and they were swiftly revealed as another V-Tiger Jet and a catapult like machine. "My monsters I summon normally and through Frontline Base. Now, I remove XYZ, V, and W from the game in order to summon VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon(3000/2400)!"

XYZ separated and merged together with the other two machines in a bright flash of light. When it dimmed down a towering robot stood on the field, each of it's limbs made of one of the other creatures. It's power was equal to that of the Blue Eyes, but considering the effects of other combinations of those monsters it's effect was bound to be devastating. "When summoned and once during each turn Dragon Catapult Cannon can remove one card on the opponent's field from the game. So I remove Yami's first set card."

The former Pharaoh picked up his card and slid it into his card holder, considering that his removed from play pile. Now they had a dangerous monster pointing right at them, and it had more attack strength than any monster they had. "Dragon Catapult Cannon will destroy Maximum Six." The robot launched a beam of energy from it's right fist, sending it straight at the weakened multi-armed warrior. However, Joey was ready for him.

"Activate Skull Dice!" This time he had a minimal chance that it would work out for him. The best he could hope for was that the damage would be lessened. He got that hope when the result was a three, cutting the robot's attack power down to one thousand. The beam ripped apart Maximum Six and Joey fell to the ground, clutching his stomach as if it had been punctured. And to him it felt like it had. Luckily for him that was all that Talon could do during this turn. (JLP: 3000)

Now Joey's turn was up, and he desperately struggled to draw a card. Groaning he slipped Warrior Returning Alive into his duel disk, calling back Gearfreed the Iron Knight in defense mode. He was too weak to even announce his move. Then he placed a card face to replace his already used up traps, and to help defend himself. Now it was Yami's turn since Kaiba wasn't there anymore.

Yami drew a card, having forgotten about Exalibur, and sighed unhappily as the equip card exploded and Jack's Knight fell to a measly one thousand and fifty attack points. All he could do was change Jack's Knight into defense mode, and hope for the best. With the pain they were in and the disadvantage they had, things seemed to be looking bad for the two of them. And so far D'harim hadn't even summoned a monster. He had just set a single monster and one face down card each turn. It was like he wasn't even threatened by them.

The dark knight of order smirked at the sight of his newest card, and immediately played it. "My next card should be a breath of fresh air for you two. Actually, I doubt it's that fresh. You see this wind blows in from the land of the dead, so it probably isn't very healthy for you. The Black Wind of Death will blow away one of each of your set cards, deal five hundred damage for each, and then it will be returned to my deck to be used again! Wonderful isn't it?" The two duelists didn't seem to think so, particularly when gusts of cutting wind began blasting across the field.

The gusts of wind sliced up one of Yami's two set cards, and Joey's only remaining set card. The one he had placed at the end of his previous turn. It also cut them as well, slicing at their shirts and their skin. At this rate they would pass out from blood loss before the duel was even over. (JLP: 2500, YLP: 1400)

Talon snapped a card off his deck, and now confident in his situation he removed Jack's Knight from the game so as to establish a direct attack line to Yami's life points. He was going to defeat Yugi Motou, one of the top duelists in the world! And it was all in the name of Great Lord Eikyuu. "Attack him directly and grant me victory!"

Yami pressed one of the button's on his duel disk, and his last remaining card flipped up. Talon shook his head in denial as he recognized it, realizing that he had no face down cards to protect himself with. "Not Mirror Force! This can't be happening!" He closed his eyes as his own monster's energy attacked collided with it, vaporizing it. And what was worse, he felt the pain of that attack, and collapsed, unable to get back up. He was passed out, or dead. There was no way to tell.

Joey, feeling a little bit invigorated by the sudden shift in power, made his move. He slid two of his three cards into his duel disk, and then moved Gearfreed into attack mode. This assault would be the one that did Talon in. "Take down Talon Gearfreed." The warrior nodded once and then jumped out and slashed down at Talon, not actually cutting him but still making the attack that would finish his life points. And now it was two on one, although the life point advantage and health advantage was certainly D'harim's. (TLP: 0)

Suddenly the whole gang came barreling around the corner, gunshots being heard in the distance. They were being chased, and now they found themself in a room where the Seal was present and about thirty armed men were pointing their weapons at them. D'harim chuckled and waved them down. "Don't shoot them. Make sure they don't leave, but let them live. I want to let them see the end of some of their strongest duelists. It's one down so far, and two to go. But now that I'm starting to get bored, I think I'll make this duel short and sweet."

Yami now felt invigorated himself upon seeing all his friends together in the room, despite the bad situation. With his friends present he felt that he could do anything at all, and so his draw rewarded him. "I've drawn the card that can help me turn this duel around! Curtain of Black Magic will cost me half my life points, but it will summon my favorite monster, Dark Magician(2500/2100)!" (YLP: 700)

His favorite monster, the purple robed magician, now stood at the ready. But even if it attacked it wouldn't help, because D'harim's only monster was in defense mode. "I equip Dark Magician with Black Spear which grants it a trample effect. I'll set a card face down and then attack your set monster with it!" The Dark Magician, now with a spear in place of it's staff, attacked D'harim's face down monster, ready to obliterate it.

"You've fallen into the last trap you'll ever encounter you weakling! Death Tendrils! This trap will send tendrils of darkness and hate throughout your magician's body, making it mind to control and warping it's mind. And I hope you haven't forgotten the effect of Heart of Suffering. Get ready to lose your mind!" Yami cried out in pain as thin black ropes stabbed into his magician's body and slithered through it. They could all see them crawling like bulbous veins, crawling all the way to his skull. Both the Dark Magician and Yami grabbed their heads and screamed in agony as their minds were invaded and torn apart.

On the outside of the Seal the gang could only watch in horror as Yami's mind and sanity were ripped away. Such power, and it was that of a Heart card as well! How in the world could you fight something that could destroy your mind so easily? "Now come to me Dark Magician! I am your master now!" The magician stumbled across the field, it's eyes glassed over, and joined D'harim. The symbol of the Seal formed upon it's head, and it gained dark power, putting it at three thousand attack points.

D'harim's hand now contained three cards, but he seemed oddly unsatisfied by it. In fact, he sighed as if he was bored. "I had hoped for a more challenging duel, but this pathetic excuse for a duel didn't even require me to use my full power. I'll string you along for at least a turn more, because I don't think you've suffered enough little Joey. But first, let me tell you all a little story about the greatest power of the land of the dead."

Joey could feel something growing inside the Seal, like a presence that he couldn't explain. And it made him afraid. "The ruling power of the land of the dead has for eons been a band of powerful creatures that are neither dead, living, or undead. They are the Death Knights. Bringers of death, destruction, and suffering. They are unrivaled in power in the netherworld, and would be as well in the living world should they ever come here. And now they have in the form of my deck! Witness their amazing power as I show you the first of my Death Knight army! Death Knight Mechanist(200/2200)!" D'harim's monster wore jet black armor, that looked to be formed of skulls and flesh of fallen enemies. Instead of wielding a sword, it had a hammer in one hand and an anvil on the ground and was busy shaping weapons.

"Death Knight Mechanist is no warrior, but he makes weapons, and that's useful. And in Duel Monsters your cards are your weapons, so he'll let me draw three cards right now. And with these three cards comes the source of your suffering! I sacrifice Death Knight Mechanist to summon the supreme one of them all, Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200)! And with the seal he gains five hundred more points!" The mechanist shattered into a million pieces and was replaced by something far more sinister.

Seated upon the back of a black armored war horse was a fearsome looking knight in armor similar to the mechanist's, only spikes stuck out of the ends of it. Even the knuckles were spiked. In one hand it held the reins of the horse, and in the other it had a jet black sword with runes carved onto it in what appeared to be blood. The bottom of the sword was claws cupping a blood ruby. It was truly a fearsome creature. "Now I play Death Knight Corpse Army! I discard two cards from my hand to special summon two Death Knight Tokens(1200/1200)!"

The two new creatures were similar to the paladin, only they were much less fearsome and smaller. D'harim still didn't appear to be finished though. "I'll activate one of the powers of Death Knight Paladin. Once per turn he can special summon a Death Knight from the cemetery to the field, so I'll revive one I discarded. Death Knight Bombardier(1600/1400)!" This newest monster was identical to the tokens, only instead of wielding a sword like the knights did, he held a smoking black bomb in one hand, and a case of them was slung over his shoulder.

"And now allow me to introduce you to the special effect of each and every Death Knight! The power that makes them the ultimate recursion monsters! Infinite Revival! By discarding a card off the top of my deck once per turn I may revive a Death Knight, so rise up my Death Knight Torture Master(1300/1500)!" This knight didn't have a horse, instead he had a wall of sickening looking torture implements. In his left hand was a whip, and his right hand was looking through the implements.

"Fun isn't it? I've gotten five monsters in one turn, not counting the Dark Magician I stole from the poor little Pharaoh. But I'll decrease that number right now to activate the effect of Death Knight Bombardier. For each monster I sacrifice I can destroy a card on your field. So I'll destroy the tokens to destroy your two set cards!" The two knights faded away, and the bombardier hurled two bombs, blowing away Joey's face down cards, his only protection.

"When a Death Knight Token is destroyed, I can shuffle a card from my cemetery into my deck. Meaning that essentially they have no cost. And with that out of the way I'll cut down your Gearfreed and then go direct with all of my monsters!" Joey screamed in pain as the bombardier blew his knight to pieces, and then the others attacked him. He was slashed with a blade, snapped by a whip, and hit by a beam of purple energy. It was just too much for him, and he couldn't stay standing anymore.

"Don't die yet Wheeler, I'm not done. I activate the effect of Torture Master and sacrifice all life point damage I would have inflicted. So for each different instance of life point damage I negated, you must discard one card from the top of your deck. That's four instances, so get rid of four cards." Joey forced himself to grab four cards and shove them into his cemetery, not even struggling up the energy to look at them. He just couldn't even believe in victory at this point, and neither could anyone else. Even Dalin was horrified at the power that D'harim was displaying.

Suddenly Yami drew a card, his eyes still glazed over. He didn't look at the card, he merely stared over at his own partner. Joey cast a confused glance at him, surprised that Yami was even moving. He was also surprised since it was supposed to be his turn. D'harim cleared his throat, grabbing Joey's attention. "Since my partner is gone, and since the effect of Death Tendrils is real, I've gained control of Yami's mind, making him my partner. Since he's too brain dead to announce his move, I'll say it for him. Dark Magician, attack him directly!"

The black magic wave hit Joey in the center of the chest, and he collapsed. They couldn't tell if he was dead or not, only that his life points were all gone and that the duel was essentially over. Serenity couldn't take it anymore, and she tried to rush towards the Seal. Dalin grabbed her by the arm and held her back, knowing that if she continued in this path she would be killed. She turned to him and began sobbing into his chest, unable to watch the end come. (JLP: 0)

"Wheeler is finished, and Yami can't announce the end of his turn. Of course he's sort of my partner, but I was going to crush Talon anyways before the duel was over. So this makes up for that. I summon Death Knight Des Gulliver(1900/1600) to the field. Then I attack with all of my monsters directly!" Each of D'harim's monsters attacked Yami, their weapons tearing into him, dropping him to the ground unconscious. The duel was at last over, and D'harim was the victor. And without losing a single life point. (YLP: 0)

The Seal of Orichalcos closed and took the souls of the three once legendary duelists. Now they were nothing but corpses as D'harim would say. The black robed duelist closed up his Duel Pod and turned to look over at the others. "If this is the best that you people can offer me, I'm greatly disappointed. I hope that if any of us ever duel you'll be more of a challenge than these three were. I'll be leaving now, but I give you a gift. You have a thirty second head start, then these men will hunt you down and kill you. That is all."

With that said he turned and walked away, passing out of sight rather quickly. The eight remaining members of the group turned and ran, heading for the door as fast they could. If they didn't escape quickly they were going to die, and then they'd never be able to fix any of this. In order to save the world, they had to live, and they had to leave behind three friends. And it hurt worse than dying. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The speed boat zipped away from the aircraft carrier, barely avoiding the spray of bullets coming from the weapons being pointed at them from on deck. Although each of them managed to avoid getting hit, the boat itself wasn't so lucky. They managed a clean escape, but they were in trouble. The gas line had been hit, and now they were out of gas in the middle of the ocean. Without a paddle.

Looking up they saw that the sun was high overhead, and it was hot. Very hot. Things couldn't get much worse, or at least so it seemed. For now all they could do was sit and wait, and hope they could figure a way out of this mess.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D'harim stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier, staring out into the distance. His black robe moved with the ocean breeze, a comfortable feeling to anyone but him. He was annoyed not by the breeze, but because he hadn't gotten his challenge.

"You truly crushed them. Nice work Takuya." The speaker was the brown robed shorter fellow, his companion, one of the two other Knights of Order. He too was fully covered by his robe which blew in the breeze.

"Call me by that name again and I'll kill you. Slowly." Beneath his face-covering the brown robed man was grinning, and he chuckled out loud. He knew just how serious D'harim was, but that didn't mean he couldn't joke with the other knight.

"Well then, should I call you...Kensai?" The one in brown dodged the vicious backhand that the black robed man sent his way, aware that only his ability to move as the wind had saved him from a very painful blow.

Beneath his face covering Takuya Shinomori sneered, his eyes piercing across the sea towards the duelists that now waited out there. His potential challenge. "Those names are nothing to me. Takuya Shinomori is dead. All that there is, is D'harim." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: MWUAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHHAHAAHHAHAAHA (Deep breath) HAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I feel evil tonight!

G.O.T. Nick: I'm surprised at how fast you comprehend. Here's a virtual cookie.

The White Mage: Gotcha! Nope, The End was the name of the event where Eikyuu comes and brings order to all. Not the end of the story, although that impression was my intent.

Void Templar: Got you too.

WolfGeneral: Keep your eyes wide. It helps you read the story.

Original Cards

D'harim: Agony, Heart of Suffering, Dark Mind-Devil's Insanity, Black Wind of Death, Death Tendrils, Death Knight Mechanist, Death Knight Paladin, Death Knight Corpse Army, Death knight Bombardier, Death Knight Torture Master

Talon: Payment of Debt, Halt Play, Power of Unity

Anime Original Cards

D'harim: Seal of Orichalcos

Talon: V-Tiger Jet, W, VWYXZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon

Yami: Excalibur, Black Spear


	12. My Heart, My Duel

Author's Notes: And now for a word from our sponsors. Of course I'll have to figure out who our sponsors are first, so until then you'll have to wait. Sorry about that. 

**Chapter Eleven: My Heart, My Duel**

Adrift. They were all adrift. The only positive thing that they could think of was that the sun was starting to get lower, and therefore it wasn't as hot out. Of course that also meant it was going to be colder, and there was nothing they could do about it. "Editing your deck?"

Dalin nodded once and then returned to his work, trying to figure out a way amongst his cards that could fight a strategy like D'harim's. The power of his deck had never counted on something as incredibly fast as D'harim's monsters. Even if he could drain the attack of one or two and add it to his life points it seemed that D'harim was capable of multiplying the number of monsters he had in an instant.

All of them had their mind on the situation in one way or another. Whether it be contemplating the loss of three of the world's strongest duelists, or fearing the power of D'harim, they all had something to think about. Two in particular were affected by the duel, Mokuba and Serenity. Both were now asleep, having exhausted themselves crying. It wasn't often that your brother was stripped of his soul in front of your eyes and brutally tortured as well.

Kai stared out into the distance, trying to figure out what could be done. Certainly they could paddle, but that wouldn't get them that far. He sighed and shook his head, trying to clear it of the negative thoughts that were welling up._ 'How can we defeat that kind of power? In a one on one duel D'harim would just be too strong to defeat. But if we face him in multiples he's just gonna turn us against each with his traps like he did Joey, Kaiba, and Yami.'_

Kai felt time pass rather than really noticing it. Although it got darker his attention wasn't on the actual world enough to see the difference. Instead he simply knew he had been thinking for a long time. He was certain by this time that he was the only one awake. Or at least he had thought so until he heard a whisper. "Autumn is worried about Drake. Her item can usually sense souls like yours can, especially if AB helps her. What about your item Dalin?"

The bi-eyed duelist looked towards the angel user out of the corner of his eye. The muscular man was still busy editing his deck, apparently not having stopped for the past few hours. He was having trouble deciding, and that was something new to Kai. "I've detected nothing. That enormous power he was exuding has vanished without a trace. Whether he is dead or simply out of power I don't know. I doubt either her item or mine can sense a soul at this great a distance, so for the moment we can only wonder."

"We're all alone in the world aren't we?" The words that Kai spoke surprised even himself. He hadn't intended to speak them, not even in his mind let alone out loud. He didn't bother to look at the two other men. Silence reigned between the three men, a silence of agreement. They were utterly alone, and they knew it.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Would you look at that? A pretty girl sitting all by herself in a coffee shop. Want some company?" Drake grinned down at the familiar form of Kirani, who leaned her head back to smile up at him. She gestured with one hand to the seat in front of her and he sat down, joining her at the table._

_"Coffee?" Drake shook his head, not being in the mood for coffee. It had been a week since he had seen her last, and he was eager to catch up. Ever since they had started this pattern it seemed that they would meet somewhere else. It was a matter of variety, and of exploring what they liked and didn't._

_Over the course of the past month and a half Drake had learned that Kirani liked Italian food, disliked Mexican food, loved coffee, preferred white chocolate to dark, and other such silly things. "I've never been much of a coffee person myself. I figure I've got enough energy without it."_

_He had also learned more important things, things that truly meant something. Kirani found a sunset more beautiful than a sunrise, particularly if it was an ocean view. She cared how others thought of her, but not so much that she let it impact the way she acted. Whenever she was in a tough spot she willingly accepted support. She wasn't arrogant, she wasn't cruel, she was fun loving and caring. She was just...Kirani._

_Drake had the strangest sensation that he was falling in love with her._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The bright light that overcame them was enough to wake everyone on the drifting boat up. They covered their eyes and readied themselves to leap into the water if need be. At the moment there was no telling what was coming near, and the most likely answer was the aircraft carrier or something sent by them. "It's smaller than the aircraft carrier, and relatively silent. A smaller boat or a....."

Dalin's comment went unfinished as the light dimmed a little to giver them a clearer view of what was coming closer. It was in fact a relatively small shining white yacht, and a cheerful looking Kirani was leaning out the pilot's cabin and waving to them. "Ahoy!"

Sighing with relief the group put their hands into the icy water and started paddling. Less than a minute later they were alongside the yacht, and Kirani was putting a rope ladder down so they could all climb up. "You guys are in trouble aren't you?"

Ryu pulled himself over the ladder and onto the bottom and then casually leaned against the railing, waiting as the others climbed their way up. He rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "When are we not in trouble?"

"Good point." It took just about a minute, but soon everyone was onboard. Kirani moved amongst them, looking for injuries. When she saw none she seemed satisfied and stepped back to look them all over. Despite the fact that they seemed unhurt she couldn't tell if they were really okay. _'Something seems off about them. What am I missing?'_

It hit her hard and she couldn't help but shiver at the thought. _'I'm not the one missing something...they are!'_ She looked amongst them once more and then looked down at the speed boat below the yacht, trying to make sure that she hadn't missed anyone. "Joey, Kaiba, and Yugi....where are they?"

The hung heads was enough of a response. Suddenly Serenity burst out into tears and ran to Kirani, burying her head against the older girl's shoulder. Kirani placed her arms around the younger girl and stroked her hair comfortingly. "Shhh...it's going to be okay. Everything is going to be just fine."

Meanwhile Mokuba had broken down against, and Autumn was busy seeing to him. Kirani looked up from her sudden charge and shot a look to the one who always seemed to radiate control. In a situation like this, he would be in the one in charge. Her eyes told all that was needed, and Dalin knew that when all were set aside he would have to explain what had happened to her.

"Let's get these two into bed. They could use a little bit of sleep. Then I'll show the rest of your to where you'll be sleeping. If anybody wants some food I can show you where the kitchen is. Keep in mind it isn't that big, but it's got plenty of food. Only a couple of people can be in there at the same time, so don't crowd." She motioned to Autumn and the other girl took her hint and picked up Mokuba. Kirani ushered Serenity out in front of her, not being sure if she could carry the other girl, and headed below decks.

The men, all of them exhausted and ready to sleep, milled around briefly. Dalin descended into the speed boat and picked up all of their belongings, every single bag, and slung them over his shoulders. Then with that weight on his back he pulled himself back up and onto the yacht. "Figure out whose bag is whose. We'll need a little bit extra to keep warm. And we can't have anyone losing their cards, because I've got a feeling we're going to need them."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He defeated all three of them so easily? With barely any help from his partner?" Dalin could only nod, barely believing it himself. Despite all his working he still didn't know if he could defeat D'harim in a duel. Perhaps if he used the Heart of Justice against the other duelist he could do it, however without it he would lose to D'harim's Death Knights and the Heart of Suffering.

"So what do we do now?" Kirani's question was an obvious one, but it needed answering anyways. By this time everyone but the two of them were in bed, and that was what allowed them to have this conversation. Once she got this answered, there was one more thing she needed to know.

"Everyone is exhausted both mentally and physically. To suggest that we push on at this very moment could be disastrous to their morale. These aren't soldiers, they're teenagers. They've faced troubles before, but I don't believe anything this big before. Ihachi was just a joke compared to this. There's so much more involved. And I'm truly the only one besides you and Drake to have dealt with Taichi." Dalin noted Kirani's body briefly quivering at the sound of the name. It apparently brought up bad memories for her.

"Alright then, I'll just keep us here for the moment. In the morning we'll decide where we go from here. I just have one more question. Do you know where Drake is?" Dalin shook his head and stood, his head brushing the ceiling. Boats like this just weren't designed with someone his height in mind.

"Neither I nor Autumn has been able to detect any trace of Drake. There's no way for us to figure out exactly where he is. I do have a feeling that these robed men know, the problem is getting them to talk. Until tomorrow." Dalin gave her a parting nod of the head and then he was out the door, leaving her alone in her room to think about all that was going on. And there was a lot to think about at that.

Shedding her clothing the duelist readied herself for sleep by pulling on a simple long t-shirt, one that didn't even reach mid-thigh. It was the most comfortable thing for her to wear when sleeping, particularly with the sheets she had. She would have prepared something more decent, but she hadn't been expecting company. It had only been chance and a bad feeling that had caused her to turn around. "Tomorrow..."

She sighed and snuggled up under her sheets, her eyes slowly drifting shut. Hopefully her sleep would bring good dreams, and with good dreams maybe she could forget for a moment the terrible things that were happening. All would be well once he was back, she was sure of it. He had saved her once before, and he would do it again. "Drake..."

And then she drifted off to sleep.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The sun was right at the bottom of it's arc, half hidden by the skyline, it's dimmed glow sending waves of crimson across the clouds. A reflection of the sun could be seen in the waters, and it made a rainbow pattern of light appear there. The scene at the Domino Peer was amazing, and standing at the pier gave Kirani a perfect view. She sighed, leaning against the railing as she stared out into the setting sun. "It's perfect."_

_"I've felt the same way every time I've been here." Kirani turned around, discovering that the speaker was none other than Drake Ihachi. She let out a string of laughter and quickly embraced him in delight. He returned the hug, and Kirani couldn't help but remember the past like this. Being in his arms felt so right...but no. He only saw her as a good friend. After all, they didn't really know each other that well._

_Kirani pulled back from the hug, grinning up at Drake, who she hadn't seen for close to three months. Not since he had last departed Domino. "Good to see you ya big lug. How goes things with Kaiba? I hear you two are becoming close." She laughed at the thought of that. She had heard about the duel the two had fought, and what had happened. What was amazing was that they were dueling in a mainly friendly manner. Anything friendly and Seto Kaiba didn't seem to mix in her mind._

_"Not close per se, he still considers me something of a rival though. The money is definitely good, it's better than my last job with KC. It lets me pay for my sister's hospital fees, pay for Tenjiku's apartment, my own, and with enough left over for some perks. Plus job security is great, and there are other benefits. But enough about me. I wanna hear what you've been up to." She smiled that amazing smile of hers that out shown the sun, and turned to lean against the railing. He joined her there, both of them watching as the sun set._

_"After the Ghouls disbanded I did some dueling. But I was at a little fishing village when I found what I really wanted to do. There was a family there who was looking to hire someone to be a pilot for their boat, drive them around a bit on the waters. It fit me so well, I knew I could do it and love it. I've had plenty of experience piloting boats, and I just love the ocean. So I took the job. I've had several others, but at the moment I'm the personal pilot for some rich family's yacht. The pay is decent, and I get to be on the ocean all I want." There wasn't a sound for several seconds, but then Drake spoke up again._

_"What is it about the ocean that you love so much?" The older girl sighed a bit, a wistful look on her face as she began to speak._

_"I love the ocean because of its beauty, and because it seems to be an endless dream. I feel that I can get lost in its great depths and yet still be happy. The ocean is freedom, and that's what I've always wanted in life. To be free to do as I wish to go where I wish. That was the real reason I joined the Ghouls in the first place, in order to escape the mediocrity of normal life. But it just ended up being a different version of the same thing." She let out another sigh and leaned in against his shoulder, relaxed at being so close to him._

_"The Ghouls saw you as sort of a mother figure you know. Malik may have created the Ghouls, but you were the one who kept most of them together. Not those psychos that Malik had as his heavy hitters, but the regular people amongst us. Some of the things Malik wanted us to do weren't exactly good things, but no matter how bad it got they said you were always there. And I guess they agree with me on one thing. One look at your smile just sets everything right." Kirani had no idea what to say to that, so she merely tried and came up empty. A sputtering response that didn't get her meaning out._

_"I've always thought dreaming was best when you're awake honestly. To really live your own dream in life is the best thing I could possibly think of. One day, maybe we should both take a trip on a boat of our own. Nobody to keep us in line, no mediocrity for us. A life of freedom, a dream of life." He didn't look at her as he spoke. Instead his gaze stayed focused on the horizon where the sun was continuing its descent. Her gaze followed his, and they continued to enjoy the view._

_"You're always dreaming Drake. That's one of the things I like about you. The times I've heard you say "Kirani, I've always had a dream of doing this, or doing that" makes me feel happy. To know that somebody in the world still has joy from simple things. Despite your tough exterior and your fighting spirit, I think you're more of a kid inside. Always dreaming up another adventure." Drake laughed at this, but he didn't bother to deny it. Kirani leaned in closer to him, and if this meant something to Drake he didn't let on. She placed her head on his shoulder and felt herself drifting off._

_"I'm that way because of one simple fact. We're most alive when we're chasing dreams. Don't you think so Kirani?"_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kirani..." The young woman jerked awake from her dream, and looked around. The voice she had heard had seemed so familiar, like that of someone she knew. Yet it was too quiet for her to tell exactly who it was. "Kirani..."

She pulled the covers off and got up, looking around the cabin. Slowly she crept toward the door and flicked the light on. What she discovered was that nobody was in her room, not a single soul. "Who was saying that? Is anybody there or am I just dreaming still?"

There was silence for a moment more, and then a whisper from above the stairs that went up from her room to the top deck. "Kirani..." Following the voice she ascended the stairs, and soon found herself on the deck. It was foggy out, which was surprising considering it hadn't looked like it was going to be bad weather earlier. But sometimes these things just got blown in by the winds. "Kirani..."

She followed the voice off to the side, unable to see the speaker because of the fog. The closer she moved the clearer the voice became. She'd just need to hear it a few times and then she'd be able to place it. "Kirani..."

Kirani stopped as she saw that she had reached the pilot's cabin, with the door open. The familiar person saying her name must have gone in there. Carefully she moved forwards, ready to figure out what was going on. She slipped into the room and reached out and flicked on the lights. Light flooded the pilot's cabin and she found nothing. "But there isn't another exit and I'm sure the voice came from here. Am I really just dreaming?"

"You know, you look sexy dressed like that." The confident voice in its clear tones was fully recognizable now. She had heard that voice many times before, and she had enjoyed the sound of it. There was only one person in the entire world who sounded like that, or who would be stupid enough to say that to her without thinking.

"Drake, you're back!" She whirled around and saw not Drake, but someone else entirely. Hanging from a pipe over the door by his knees was a figure in a brown robe. None of his features were visible except for icy blue eyes beneath his hood. Drake's eyes were violet, and he was definitely taller. "Who are you?"

The robed man dropped down, twisting in mid-air so that he came up facing her, crouched on his knees. "I'm not the little punk that's for sure. But it was sooooo easy to manipulate you into thinking I was. A few 'Kirani...'s in his voice and a fog of sleep to keep you drowsy and the others unconscious was all it took. Now it looks like I've got you all to myself, and I'm going to enjoy it." He chuckled, his voice cruel and fairly young. When he said 'Kirani' though, his voice was identical to Drake's.

"What the hell do you want from me you bastard?" He chuckled at her response and rose to his feet. She discovered quickly that he wasn't as tall as she was, being about an inch shorter. Her blue eyes glared into his light blue eyes, and she followed his gaze. It was somewhere it shouldn't be.

"Kinda cold isn't it Kirani?" She growled and wrapped an arm around her chest. With her free hand she took a swing at him. Laughing he jumped to the side, and his body seemed to dissipate into a swirl of wind. He passed straight through the glass and reformed outside of it. He gestured tauntingly to her, motioning for her to follow.

"Go ahead, try all you want. I'm more than you can possibly handle!" Not bothering to cover up she ran out the door and onto the deck, heading straight for him. Her mind was clouded by anger and this strange fog that made it harder for her to think. She ran after him, but he kept floating backwards, propelled by his powers.

Finally he stopped as she reached the bow of the yacht. With nowhere else to go he jumped back some dozen feet and landed...in mid-air. He was supported by absolutely nothing, and he didn't seem bothered by the fact that he couldn't reach her. "Poor Kirani. You've got no power on your own, not without someone to back you up. You can't possibly handle my power. In fact, after your last defeat in a duel I doubt you're capable of giving even a mouse a real challenge!"

She grimaced at his comment, wanting nothing more than to jump out there and tear him a new one. But since he was standing in mid-air over ice cold water and she was barely wearing anything it made falling into that water much more dangerous. "You think so? I'll grab my deck and crush you here and now!"

"No need for that, I brought your deck and your disk along. Don't worry, I know how weak you are so I didn't look at your cards or change them." He reached into his robe and pulled out the compacted duel disk with the deck already in it. She easily caught the underhanded toss, and placed the disk on her arm. It felt cold on her bare skin, but anger made up for it.

"I'll show you that I'm enough of a duelist to defeat you ten times over. I'm no coward, and I don't fear anyone because of just one loss! I've got my own strength, and I'll show it to you here and now, so let's duel!" She pressed the activation button and the disk snapped into place, the life point counter ready to go. (KLP: 4000)

She snapped six cards off the top of her deck, ready to start this duel even if he hadn't activated his own disk yet. She'd go first, and then she'd show him real power. "I'll start this duel off with a unique monster. I summon Gilford of Thunder(1800/1600) to the field!" Her monster appeared along with a peel of thunder, and was revealed as a warrior roughly the size of Gilford the Lightning, however the armor was a darker color than Gilford's and his sword was smaller and at his hip.

"Gilford of Thunder draws his blade, and his special ability will activate! Now that I've summoned him I get to draw one card off the top of my deck and one card from the bottom. So here I go!" She drew the first card off her deck and then one from the bottom, boosting her hand so that it contained seven cards. Already she had a strong monster and two extra cards with minimal effort.

"See? Does it look like I'm afraid to duel? I've got skill and power, and you're just lucky no player can attack the first turn. I set two cards face down and end!" The two cards appeared, one behind Gilford of Thunder and one to its left. Her turn was over, but thanks to the effect of her monster she still had a good sized hand of five cards. He'd have to chew on that, because she would have more options when his turn was over than he did.

"You actually believe that you're a strong duelist don't you? Poor little Kirani. She so desperately wants to prove herself. And I'll show you just how much of a cowardly child you are. Witness the face of fear itself!" He placed a hand on the mask portion of his robe and pulled, tossing it aside and sending the robe flaring out backwards like a cape. Now he stood there in front of her in a red body suit with the infinity symbol on the left breast, brown cape behind him.

The moment Kirani's eyes set upon his face she felt her knees weaken. Terror pooled up in her belly and she dropped to her knees, her eyes clouding up as fear took over. It seemed so impossible, and yet the face of her only fear stood before her. "Taichi..." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"The end has come for you Kirani, with this next card I will bring about your defeat. So here it is!" He snapped the card off his deck and held it in the air in triumph, without even looking at it. Then he snatched his Dark Elf and slapped it onto one of his monster zones._

_The dark skinned spellcaster appeared, being the exact opposite of her counterpart, the Mystical Elf. Their stats were also reversed, Dark Elf having 2000 attack and 800 defense. "Next I'll flip up my face down monster, X.E.N.O.!"_

_A monster that looked much like a mollusk with teeth and a tongue appeared, and snaked that tongue around the Ceremonial Bell, dragging it over to Taichi's side of the field. He smirked as his life points started to tick down to nearly zero. (TLP: 87)_

_"When flipped, X.E.N.O. allows me to take control of one monster on your side of the field until the end of this turn. This gives me a total of three monsters. Now, by sacrificing 500 life points as compensation, I can now normal summon again this turn!"_

_Laughing, the dark haired boy held out one of his arms. His eyes glinted evilly as he pulled a simple knife from his pocket and then slammed it into his wrist. Pulling the blade out, he turned his wrist upside down so that the blood could splatter onto the ground. His laughter only grew as the blood splashed upon the ground at his feet._

_"What the hell are you doing?" Taichi merely continued laughing as he let more blood pour from his wrist. Then, smearing the blood upon his hand, he grasped the second card he had drawn by the effect of Pot of Greed and slammed it onto his monster zone, shattering his other three monsters in the process._

_"I'm not surprised you don't understand. Your concepts of power and commitment are hardly up to my standard. You see, the card is Blood Compensation, so I must give up my own blood to summon my next monster. And through that blood I gain a bond with my monster like nothing you could possibly understand! You see..this is more then a simple game...it's a Shadow Game!"_

_Drake whipped around as he heard these words and ran up to Kaiba. "Kaiba! Cancel the duel right now! If you don't something terrible could happen!"_

_The older duelist grunted in response and gestured to the blood that seeped through his arms, and the weak Rishid that stood in the corner. "Rishid, Bakura, Malik. They have suffered, and Malik has even died. For the first two I would say that they were weak, so they were defeated and didn't deserve to continue. However with Malik's death something happened. At that moment I should have canceled this entire tournament and had Dalin arrested. However I can't do that anymore."_

_Grabbing the CEO by the front of his shirt Drake pulled him forward, so that they were almost eye to eye. "And why the fuck can't you?"_

_He sighed and looked away, refusing to meet Drake's eyes. "Because I'm no longer in control of this tournament. If I tried to cancel it, these duels would still continue. I can do nothing about that. I don't care that Malik is dead, but this Taichi, I want to see him lose. He also claims to have a power greater then God, and I believe he's referring to the god cards. Therefore I will see this monster, and I will find a way to claim it."_

_Back on the field the blood of Taichi was now creating a pool in what would be one of the monster zones and everything was starting to shake. The entire blimp rattled, and with a brief flash, the lights went out and the holographic projectors deactivated._

_Joan was still standing there, despite the deactivation. The blimp itself was beginning to descend, a lack of power forcing it to plummet to the ocean below. "Now my monster, now my master! For what was, for what is, and for what shall be I call upon you!"_

_A black fire ignited upon the blood, spinning around it until some sort of occult symbol appeared. Suddenly a massive hand, the size of a human body erupted from it and crashed down on the field. The tan fleshed arm began pulling itself up, dragging the massive body up with it._

_Slowly the monster rose up, showing its true horrifying self as a monster that existed completely outside of the holograms that generated the rest of the monsters in the game. It generated itself, creating an aura that made Joan just as real as it was. This monster was a true terror to behold, particularly for Kaiba._

_The sound of bone contacting with bone wasn't enough to pull anyone's gaze away from the monster. Kaiba slowly reached up a hand to his nose, wiping the blood that blossomed there off, though it wasn't enough to stop the flow. Drake dropped his fist to his side and shouted at Kaiba, rage filling his heart. "Stop the duel! DO IT NOW!"_

_Kaiba closed his eyes and looked away, now ignoring the flow of blood down his chin. This was his fault...this was...it was...real. "I'm sorry...I can't do anything."_

_Taichi's laughter echoed above the deep guttural sounds of his new monster, whose snake head charm was enough to let even an amateur duelist recognize it. "Its all over Kirani...for now my supreme monster, a force beyond God will eliminate you. No...it will do more then simply eliminate you. It will obliterate you. EXODIA! OBLITERATE!"_

_Exodia raised its unchained hands and called upon its awesome energies and then extended its arm, sending a massive wave of deadly energy cascading over Joan, killing her so quickly that it was as if she never existed. The wave hurtled onwards towards Kirani, ready to enveloped her as well._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I see by the look on your face that you remember what happened when last we dueled. I admit I'm not the same person, but the spirit that controlled me left a lasting bit of knowledge in my mind. Humanity is worthless and it should be destroyed. Therefore I'm going to assist Eikyuu in his goal, and strip humanity of their disgusting nature!" She couldn't respond, fear gripped her insides like a steel hand.

He extended one arm, activating his Duel Pod which was brown in color. He picked up five cards and then a sixth. "When this duel is over there will be a punishment for losing. And it's going to be because of one card. And that punishment is identical to what happened in our last duel. Do you remember that?" She quivered, her mind throwing her backwards in time. She remembered all too well.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Taichi stood there on a pool of his own blood, grinning maniacally. Kirani felt fear envelope her as she noticed that his arm had stopped bleeding. There was no visible wound at all, it was as if it had never happened. She tried to speak, to say something, anything. But no sound came out._

_A wicked look in his ice blue eyes the demonic boy raised one hand and displayed a blank Duel Monsters card to her. He smirked and spoke his next words in a voice that echoed in her mind. The last words that she heard. "As a penalty for losing this game, I can inflict Punishment Game. Your soul now belongs to me Kirani!"_

_Kirani felt a pulling on the very core of her being, a flash of extraordinary pain beyond description as that essential part of her was ripped away. Then she knew no more._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Your soul will be stripped away when I win this duel, not by the power of a game of darkness, but rather by the power of my first card. Seal of Orichalcos, I call upon your power! I invoke you in the name of the force that is you creator, The Immortal One Eikyuu!" The blazing green seal formed beneath their feet, creating a brand new field with deadly effects. Kirani didn't even notice it forming, because she couldn't tear her eyes away from the face of her greatest fear.

"I hope you'll at least put a little effort into this duel, because otherwise I won't get to have any fun. Now I set one card face down and a monster in defense mode. Back to you little Kirani." His two cards appeared in front of him, and then it was Kirani's turn. Unfortunately she wasn't moving. She wasn't even responding. It didn't appear as if she had noticed his move at all.

"It seems you've gone catatonic. I suppose I'm going to have to ask the judge what the ruling should be. Oh wait! There is no judge, so I'll decide. You've got just one minute to begin your turn, otherwise you automatically lose the duel!" He threw back his head and laughed, his dark voice echoing through the fog. Kirani was trapped within her own fear, and there was nobody here but him. No way out for her at all.

"It seems you've gone catatonic. I suppose I'm going to have to ask the judge what the ruling should be. Oh wait! There is no judge, so I'll decide. You've got just one minute to begin your turn, otherwise you automatically lose the duel!" He threw back his head and laughed, his dark voice echoing through the fog. Kirani was trapped within her own fear, and there was nobody here but him. No way out for her at all.

"Let's begin the countdown now shall we? Starting at this moment you have exactly one minute to draw your card. That's all. No exceptions to the rule. Of course I made up the rule, so I don't suppose its official. Not that it matters since the Seal is going to accept my ruling anyways since I'm the one with power over it." He smirked and walked forwards across the base of the Seal, his footsteps entirely silent. He wandered around her in a circle, inspecting her closely. His time in the asylum had changed him, and he couldn't say there weren't certain things he wanted to do.

"Perhaps I'll extend the time that you have to draw your card. Did anybody ever tell you anything about the real Taichi Nobuki? No? Well that's because nobody ever knew anything about him. Wealthy relatives, uncaring family. Father dead for years. Nobody noticed him at school, even his so-called friends only cared about dueling him and trading with him because he had a lot of money for cards." He continued to circle her as he spoke, his hand drifting to stroke her hair.

"Nobody was ever there for him, not even his mother. She was too wrapped up in her own life, and she didn't care about his pursuits at all. She'd feign interest in his activities occasionally, but usually it was just a 'welcome home Taichi' or 'see you later Taichi'. She never really gave a flying fuck about him. She was a selfish bitch who wouldn't have given him the time of day unless he screamed the question in her ear! She was a cold-hearted fucking bitch! The bitch deserved to die, she deserved it damn it!" He lashed out with one hand, the blow knocking Kirani onto her side. Her lip was bleeding, but there was no response from her.

"It wasn't just her either. Everybody ignored him, everybody hated him. No...they didn't hate him. They didn't care at all. And that was worse to him. It was like the real Taichi Nobuki didn't even exist. So one day he decided to end it all, to end his life. In his final moments he told the world in his rage that he wished that every last one of the fucking bastards would die screaming. Then he hung himself." He dropped down next to her, his hand caressing her cheek. He didn't seem bothered by the lifeless eyes that stared up at the sky.

"Suddenly he woke up, and he found himself in a simple room. Everything but the room was dark, so so black that it terrified him, and yet he welcomed it. Someone came into the room. It was himself, except this one seemed so much more confident, so much more worthy of attention. The other version of himself told him that soon he'd get his desired wish, and every last man, woman, and child in the world would burn in the fires of Hell. The other Taichi asked the original if he'd enjoy seeing all those who had wronged him suffer. He said yes." His hand slowly traveled down to her chest, his eyes not even touching her. He was lost in his fantasies, lost in his own world even as he did as he had secretly threatened.

"The other Taichi set up a television for him, where he could watch and see it all happen. Through his other self's eyes he watched confidence grow. He didn't beat down the problems, he tore them apart. Every situation that came up he used his mind to solve, torturing the boy's tormentors with their own thoughts and fears. He killed one, broke every bone in the boy's body one by one while the kid was still awake. He made sure the kid stayed awake. In the end he left the broken body in the principle's office, and the principle was arrested." Still lost in the past he continued his actions, unhindered by the lifeless Kirani.

"The other him was planning something. It took him several months, but in the end he had what he wanted. A tournament of Duel Monsters was about to begin, and was going to participate. Shortly before Battle City was going to begin he grew tired of the boy's mother, and he picked her apart with his bare hands. The boy saw it all from inside his own mind, and he began to understand that pain was something he had never truly experienced, this other self was truly a god of pain." He leaned his face in close to hers as he spoke the next words, his eyes staring into hers yet not connecting in any way.

"The boy watched his other self inflict great pain upon everyone he encountered, all for one goal. Total elimination of all life. Not just on Earth, but all of it everywhere, including himself. The other self was so sickened by humanity and all other forms of life that he wanted to end it all. And the boy began to feel that somehow this other self's thoughts were right, only perhaps too extreme. Mankind needed to be broken, not destroyed utterly. Because the other self had shown him pain, and he now knew it to be a far worse fate." He leaned in closer until their noses were touching, his breath beating down on her face and her lips. She didn't react at all.

"The other self made his first example a beautiful girl. He crushed her beneath his heel to make her and others feel pain, and he took her soul for himself in order to hurt those who cared about her. His next victim was a strange man that the boy didn't know either, and this one he burned alive after breaking his spirit. Next he tossed aside another boy and a girl, taking the girl's soul to break the spirit of the boy. Finally he moved on to one of his prime targets, the boy he had first targeted when he caused pain to the beautiful girl." He began to breath heavily, his mind taking him directly back to those events, seen form his own point of view.

"The other boy dueled bravely, yet in the end he was no match for the other self. The other self could only laugh as he struck out with his monster, making blood flow. And the boy proclaimed his strength, and then he fell. He died. The other self killed that boy, he killed Drake Ihachi. But then he died, and the last thought that entered the boys mind was that all was going exactly as planned. The boy was to be a scapegoat, and soon existence would come crashing down. The boy did as he was told, and he died as well. Died in a flash of pain as his body was consumed by fire." He began to pant, his body seizing up in memory of those events. His face twisted into a rictus of pain.

"I died that day! I was baptized in the fire and born again as a new man! They sent me away with the crazy people and in that time I relearned my hatred for humanity! Then I was offered a chance to gain power, to become the Knight of Air, one of the three Knights of Order! My chance to crush humanity beneath my heal and break them completely was at hand!" Suddenly his gaze cleared and he glanced at his right wrist as if at an imaginary watch. He smirked widely and pulled backwards slightly so that he could truly face her.

"Time's up." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Yeah...kinda freaky. This wasn't entirely what I had intended with this chapter, but hey! I think it turned out pretty good.

G.O.T. Nick: You'll see. Glad it hit hard, and yes, he does indeed kick ass.

Void Templar: I've got a Thirdly.........Actually, I don't.

The White Mage: Well, it's not so much killing as taking souls...but yeah.

WolfGeneral: Thank you oh other great one.

Original Cards

Kirani: Gilford of Thunder

Taichi: Blood Compensation(in flashback), Exodia(in flashback)

Anime Original Cards

Taichi: Seal of Orichalcos


	13. Darkness In The Mind

Author's Notes: The last chapter is actually edited down for and my reader's sake. When I first wrote it I scared myself, as the content was darker than usual for me. Which is saying something. 

**Chapter Twelve: Darkness In The Mind**

_"If you find yourself at the end of your rope in a duel, I guess all I can say is that you have to push harder. If you give in to defeat, then you've just allowed it access to your heart and your soul. Even if you lose, so long as you don't let that one defeat consume you then in the end you can become better."_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Taichi stood there on a pool of his own blood, grinning maniacally. Kirani felt fear envelope her as she noticed that his arm had stopped bleeding. There was no visible wound at all, it was as if it had never happened. She tried to speak, to say something, anything. But no sound came out._

_A wicked look in his ice blue eyes the demonic boy raised one hand and displayed a blank Duel Monsters card to her. He smirked and spoke his next words in a voice that echoed in her mind. The last words that she heard. "As a penalty for losing this game, I can inflict Punishment Game. Your soul now belongs to me Kirani!"_

_Kirani felt a pulling on the very core of her being, a flash of extraordinary pain beyond description as that essential part of her was ripped away. Then she knew no more._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"I don't think that being courageous means you lack fear. It's rather that you overcome it in the end. Plus if you let fear consume you then there's nowhere else to run. So I figure I'll throw all fear out the window and live with an iron will."_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Kirani stood in front of Drake, everything else around them blanketed by darkness. One ray of light fell on each of them, illuminating them to the other. Drake spoke in a voice that barely seemed his own. "The things that Taichi has done are methods of defeating the opponent, of breaking their spirit. He does it for two reasons. The first is that he enjoys every moment of it."_

_"I remember hearing that Taichi, or at least the dark spirit within him, had taught Sun Tzu many of the things he used in his Art of War. The one that Taichi prizes highest over all others is one that has often been prized most of all. Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting."_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Taichi stood there on a pool of his own blood, grinning maniacally. Kirani felt fear envelope her as she noticed that his arm had stopped bleeding. There was no visible wound at all, it was as if it had never happened. She tried to speak, to say something, anything. But no sound came out._

_A wicked look in his ice blue eyes the demonic boy raised one hand and displayed a blank Duel Monsters card to her. He smirked and spoke his next words in a voice that echoed in her mind. The last words that she heard. "As a penalty for losing this game, I can inflict Punishment Game. Your soul now belongs to me Kirani!"_

_Kirani felt a pulling on the very core of her being, a flash of extraordinary pain beyond description as that essential part of her was ripped away._

_"Sitting here, stuck within a single moment in time, is no way to win a duel. If you're going to win you have to get up and fight. Don't give me any crap about being afraid, because I know you better than that. You're stronger than this." Drake stood over Kirani's limp form, and she managed a rough response._

_"I lost to him. He crushed me completely without even using a fraction of his full strength. If I lose again, my soul will be taken for the second time. I don't know if I could handle that. I'm just going to lose if I duel him again." She heard Drake snort from above her, and he crouched down so that he was almost level with her._

_"You can't know the outcome of a duel before hand, nobody can. Not even Taichi. He tried that against me and ending up losing. It was because of the connection my soul had to everyone else that changed the future. I made my own destiny, and you can make yours as well. Don't let him decide what the outcome is, do it for yourself." _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"The wise general is a Lord of Destiny. Take it heart, and you can't lose. There's no way to win but to win on your own terms. Winning on someone else's terms is just the same as defeat. So live life the way you want to, not the way somebody else tells you to. I'd think you'd have figured that out by now."_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Taichi stood there on a pool of his own blood, grinning maniacally. Kirani felt fear envelope her as she noticed that his arm had stopped bleeding. There was no visible wound at all, it was as if it had never happened. She tried to speak, to say something, anything. But no sound came out._

_A wicked look in his ice blue eyes the demonic boy raised one hand and displayed a blank Duel Monsters card to her. He smirked and spoke his next words in a voice that echoed in her mind. The last words that she heard. "As a penalty for losing this game, I can inflict Punishment Game. Your soul now belongs to me Kirani!"_

_Kirani felt a pulling on the very core of her being, a flash of extraordinary pain beyond description as that essential part of her was ripped away._

_"Back here again? It looks like you aren't willing to release it as easily as could be hoped. But remember, if you don't release this moment, if you don't forget the past and focus on the present then you're going to lose. Because if you don't duel you lose no matter how talented a duelist you happen to be."_

_Kirani struggled to move, tears in her eyes as she tried to push away the dark thoughts that crowded into her mind, telling her of her worthlessness, of how she was just going to fail again. She had to focus on what Drake was saying. "You've forgotten who you are Kirani. You've forgotten everything that makes you Kirani. You've forgotten your I. Without that you don't stand a chance of defeating Taichi, regardless of how skilled you are."_

_He walked slowly in a little circle around her, his violet eyes always touching hers even though she never made any move to meet his eyes. "Before I dueled Taichi I was asked a question that I barely considered. Kensai asked me if I knew who my opponent was, and I shrugged it off. I laughed and said it was a stupid question, because in my eyes it was obvious that Taichi was my enemy, because he had killed Shadi, taken Hinata's soul, and worst of all he had taken yours. But I was wrong."_

_Slowly her eyes moved upwards, touching his for the briefest moment before they returned to staring blankly ahead again. The focus was lost. "The enemy that I had to fight was my own rage and hatred. It made me foolishly rush into battle and make stupid mistakes. I made the one move that cost me my life. It was only when I realized the truth that I became restored in my body and was able to draw the last critical card to defeat Taichi. I defeated my enemy, you have to defeat yours."_

_"Your enemy is fear."_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles. Taichi is a sick bastard, even when it's the real one. But his mind is clouded by his own hatred and sickness, and that becomes a weakness. You know yourself, you just have to accept yourself for who you are, not what you have been or could be. With that knowledge you can't possibly lose. Know fear, accept it into you as part of yourself so that you can overcome it. The fear makes you stronger, so long as it doesn't consume you."_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Taichi stood there on a pool of his own blood, grinning maniacally. Kirani felt fear envelope her as she noticed that his arm had stopped bleeding. There was no visible wound at all, it was as if it had never happened. She tried to speak, to say something, anything. But no sound came out._

_A wicked look in his ice blue eyes the demonic boy raised one hand and displayed a blank Duel Monsters card to her. He smirked and spoke his next words in a voice that echoed in her mind. The last words that she heard. "As a penalty for losing this game, I can inflict Punishment Game. Your soul now belongs to me Kirani!"_

_Kirani felt a pulling on the very core of her being, a flash of extraordinary pain beyond description as that essential part of her was ripped away._

_"We find ourselves here in yet another moment. Truthfully I think it does make a difference that this is the same place, the same time. The more you see it, the more you can look at it and understand it. Taichi stand victorious, and you stand in fear. Your soul is stripped away and Taichi walks out, with the feeling of success in his heart. But in the end it is he who is ultimately defeated and destroyed, while you live on. So the victory is not his, but yours."_

_This time Drake did something he hadn't in the previous times. He knelt down and took her by the waist. He picked her up bodily and set her on her feet, smiling down at her. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face and pressed something into her hand. "Remember it. An unspoken promise between two friends. It was a simple of our own feelings for each other, a symbol that you gave me. It stands between us, linking us together."_

_Limply she held the object up in front of her face. It was a Duel Monsters card, simple in design and yet...it was the name that mattered, and what it stood for. "United We Stand. This card is our unity Kirani. So long as I've got this card on me and you have Guardian Angel Joanne then we can't lose. Together we're stronger than any other opponent, and our souls are connected by those cards. So stand up Kirani! Stand and fight!"_

_He stepped back from supporting her, and she stood on her own feet, without help, for the first time in what seemed like a great while. Her legs felt weak beneath her, and yet she felt strength flowing into her. "Don't lose Kirani. Not like this, not ever. Because even if I was the one who had to have his soul taken in your place I'd do so just to see you smile. To know that you were still alive would be enough for me. So live on, and brighten everyone's life with your smile. For me."_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"I died that day! I was baptized in the fire and born again as a new man! They sent me away with the crazy people and in that time I relearned my hatred for humanity! Then I was offered a chance to gain power, to become the Knight of Air, one of the three Knights of Order! My chance to crush humanity beneath my heal and break them completely was at hand!" Suddenly his gaze cleared and he glanced at his right wrist as if at an imaginary watch. He smirked widely and pulled backwards slightly so that he could truly face her._

_"Time's up."_

"Not yet it isn't." Taichi's eyes widened as her eyes came back into focus and she gazed at him with hatred in her eyes. She struck him in the chest with her feet, pushing him off, and then knocked him back with a punch filled with all the force she could muster. Grimacing he wiped away the blood and glared at her hatefully.

"It doesn't matter! The Seal saw it, you were out for more than a minute! You lost this duel and therefore I win! Waking up now is utterly useless to you!" He threw back his head and laughed, but instead of getting despair in response, all he got was that calm and hateful stare. She wasn't affected by his mind games at all...

"The Seal recognizes that I'm still here. Your rule doesn't apply because I'm back, and because I've drawn a card! Therefore this duel is still on, and I'm about to bring you down with this next card!" She held her hand of cards at the ready, duel disk in position. The other duelist grimaced and jumped backwards, floating to his position across the field from her.

"I suppose I could actually get some fun out of this. I had been wanting to duel someone into a painful defeat, so you'll do. But I won't have any mercy, and in ten turns your soul is going to be mine!" She ignored his threat and merely picked a card up out of her hand before slapping it down on the field next to her Gilford of Thunder.

"Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) in attack mode. I'll send him after your face down monster to eliminate your defenses!" The armored warrior raced across the field and slashed apart the face down creature with its spear. There was no trace left of the obviously weaker monster, meaning that there was now no defense for Taichi except for his single face down card.

"With the field cleared of whatever demon you had placed I'll go on the attack with Gilford of Thunder. Stream of Thunder!" Gilford of Thunder bent his knees to prepare for his attack and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. Then he drew with blinding speed, sending a wave of golden energy streaking towards Taichi. It crashed against him, consuming him in its light.

"Demon? What demon? As a matter of fact the monster you destroyed was an angel, and it has protected me from your paltry attack!" The golden energy cleared away, and revealed that it was exactly as Taichi had claimed. He was utterly unharmed, and so were his life points. The only question remaining was how that was possible.

"Explain yourself Taichi. How did that monster save your life points?" He smirked and ejected it from his cemetery, then picked it up and showed it to her. It appeared in front of him, revealing a brown furball with white angel wings and pitiful stats.

"The creature you destroyed was the light half of Kuriboh, known as Hane Kuriboh(300/200)! When he's destroyed in battle I can't take life point damage during that turn. So the attack of your Gilford of Thunder was futile. Care to try anything else you pitiful duelist?" She scowled but didn't respond immediately. Instead she selected a card from her hand and slipped it into her duel disk, where it appeared next to her other face down cards.

"Your mind games won't work on me anymore Taichi. I'm tired of being played with by a freak like you. I set one card face down and end my turn. Now let's see if you can keep your guarantee and defeat me in ten turns. As soon as you start it's going to be turn one." She smirked and stood at the ready, her confidence and her stance reminding the teenage duelist suspiciously of Drake.

"You call those mind games? I'm just telling the truth. Compared to the likes of myself and the other Knights you're just a worm. I'm sure your little friends mentioned how D'harim squashed three of your top duelists with ease." Kirani grimaced as she remembered what Dalin had said about D'harim. And if Dalin was uncertain about being able to defeat a duelist than she most certainly should be. And she had no idea the power of the deck that Taichi was using or even what type it was.

"I see I've hit a nerve. Good. So now I think I'll draw just to keep things moving along." He picked up his next card and looked over his hand of four cards. Currently he and Kirani had the same number of cards in hand, but Kirani had three cards face down and two monsters while he had no monsters and only one card face down. However the Seal of Orichalcos still gave him an advantage.

"Pity. My hand isn't all that good I see. Looks like you've gotten lucky so far. I'll just play another monster in defense mode. See if you can get past it, okay?" He snickered as his horizontal card appeared on front of him, just waiting to be struck down by the power of her strong monsters. And with Kaiser Seahorse in play it would be easy to summon a stronger monster.

Kirani snapped the next card off the top of her deck, eager to get this over with. Once she had a third monster in play she'd be able to go after his life points and potentially knock him out of the duel. She glanced down at the card she had drawn and then added it to her hand. Finally she took the middle card of her five cards and played it onto the field.

"I summon Magister of Lightning-Gilford(1600/1400) to the field!" The monster that she had just summoned was wearing what looked like a hood form of Gilford the Lightning's helmet, along with a blue robe. He stood at an equal height to Gilford of Thunder, however he didn't have a weapon at all. He was barehanded.

Taichi smirked at the sight of the monster, and folded his arms across his chest. "Gilford huh? It looks like you just might have a strategy somewhere in that deck of yours. I'm shocked my own self. Not that any strategy you assemble has a chance of defeating me and the power of my deck!" He chuckled at this, standing ready for her assault.

"You may act confident but it doesn't mean anything at all! I've got three monsters to your one, and my three are about to rip straight through your life points! Magister of Lightning, Bolt Storm!" The Magister closed his eyes and started humming. A dark cloud formed up above them, and bolts of blue lightning began to rain down from the sky and hammer into Taichi's face down monster. The card flipped up, and suddenly his monster was revealed.

"Kuriii!!!" Kirani raised an eyebrow in surprise as the pathetic little brown furball appeared on the field. It was desperately dodging the lightning bolts but it didn't look like it was going to last long. _'First Hane Kuriboh and now Kuriboh(300/200)? What's he playing at? They may have useful effects but it's like he's throwing them out to die to keep me from learning his strategy.'_

"Your throw away monsters won't stall me at all. You've just run out of options Taichi, and unless you show me your strategy in your next turn then you won't get a chance to have another turn. Because Gilford of Thunder and Kaiser Seahorse are going to eliminate all but five hundred of your life points!" She expected some snide comment from Taichi. What she didn't expect was all out laughter.

"Show you my strategy? Don't be stupid, I already have! Reveal face down card, Multiply!" She gasped as the little puffball closed its eyes and started splitting, dodging the rain of lightning bolts until ten of them were on the field, filling up each of Taichi's available zones. Now he had an army of weak little demons, none of which could possibly hurt her.

"Now watch as the power of the Seal makes them more appropriately demons. Gain dark power my Kuribohs!" The green symbol appeared right above their eyes, and each one's teeth lengthened until they were vicious snarling little beasts, their previously harmless features turned to terrifying ones. They were like something out of Gremlins.

"Kuriboh? That's your strategy? That's no strategy at all! I'll show you how weak it is by crushing each and every last one of them in turn. Gilford of Thunder and Kaiser Seahorse, destroy two of them!" The two monsters unleashed their attacks, easily blasting apart two of the weak defense mode Kuribohs. The little demons didn't even get a chance to fight back they were that overwhelmed.

"See Taichi! Even with the power of the Seal of Orichalcos your Kuribohs are nothings. Eight hundred attack power as a boosted strength is useless against my monsters. But if you'd like to try something that might really work, go ahead and do so in your turn because mine is over. At least...do something if you can with that so-called strength of yours." Feeling confident now that she knew his strategy was just a bunch of wimpy puffballs she stood at the ready, knowing that victory would be hers in the duel.

The shorter duelist drew his next card and held it up so he could see it. He grinned at the sight of it and then folded his hand so he could speak easily to Kirani. "You really think that power comes from raw strength on one's own? It's that individualistic attitude that causes mankind to be so weak and to be so deserving of destruction!"

"If you think you're better than mankind I suggest you look in the mirror! You're part of mankind yourself, although you're a pretty pathetic excuse for a human. You sicken me!" He leered at her, and then spread his arms out wide to allow his gesture to encompass each of his eight remaining Kuribohs. He smirked as he did so, and then he began to speak.

"You don't understand at all! I'm beyond humans, I have transcended them! And now I'll teach you a lesson that the so-called 'weak' Kuriboh learned long ago. They have never been physically powerful, but they have always been great in number. They discovered that by combining their power they could be deadly to even the greatest adversary, and that is the thought process that humans lack!" Kirani rolled her eyes at how melodramatic he was being, but kept herself ready for whatever he had in mind.

"If you think the power of your little Kuribohs can defeat me even when working together, you've got another thing coming. But go ahead and show me their combined strength. Show me the power they possess!" Taichi nodded and then unfolded his hand of cards yet again, picking out the card he had drawn during this turn. Now he was ready to make his move.

"Thanks to the power of Multiply I have eight Kuribohs in play. That easily gives me enough to activate Polymerization! And now I'll fuse five of my Kuribohs together to form a higher level unlike anything you've ever witnessed!" Kirani was starting to get interested with his moves as five of the little demonic furbies jumped together and flowed into one creature. What emerged was a tall warrior with a furry head and glaring eyes. It was like a humanoid Kuriboh in black armor.

"Meet King Kuriboh(2000/1200)! And with the Seal's power he reaches twenty-five hundred attack power. But that's not all, as he boosts the attack of all other monsters with 'Kuri' in their name by five hundred. Now my other three monsters have thirteen hundred attack strength. Impressive power isn't it?" She nodded, having actually been impressed by the combination. It had to have interesting effects of it took five monsters to create of the same name when you could only have three cards of the same name in your deck.

"King Kuriboh will blow your Magister of Lightning away in revenge for trying to destroy a member of the Kuri Clan!" King Kuriboh raised his arm and sent of bolt of black energy shrieking towards Magister of Lightning. With a power of twenty-five hundred it easily out-classed her Magister, so she had to take action right now.

"I activate Squall Barrier! This negates your attack and allows me to add a card with 'Gilford' in it's name to my hand from my deck. Looks like you're out of luck." A barrier of water shot up from the ground and deflected the energy attack, leaving her monster safe. Accepting this Taichi placed a card face down on his field, thereby showing the end of his turn.

Now it was Kirani's turn, and she started to draw. However as she did so a gust of wind rushed through the fog, reminding her very suddenly that it was the middle of the night and all she was wearing as cover was a long t-shirt. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Taichi smirked and stared openly. "Watch your eyes pervert, or I'll kick them into the back of your head!"

The dark haired duelist smirked and stroked the top of his brown Duel Pod idly, apparently not even noticing his actions. "It isn't perversity. Think of it as a compliment. You're still just a disgusting human, but maybe I'll make you my toy once I win this duel. No soul, no fight, no fuss." He licked his lips slowly, savoring the thought.

"You're one twisted fuck you know that? And I'm gonna show you what happens to people like you, so I draw!" She drew her next card and put it in amongst her other five. But all she really needed was the one card she had taken through the use of Squall Barrier. It was going to be the card that declared her true power and ripped Taichi a new one.

"Kaiser Seahorse counts as two sacrifices for a light-type monster. So I'll offer it and Magister of Lightning to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400). And so his special effect activates, go Raigeki Blade!" The mighty deity of lightning took his place on the field, his seven foot tall armored form surrounded by a glowing field of electricity. He raised his arm and pulled his blade free, then swung it down towards Taichi's monsters. A massive lightning bolt streaked down from the sky.

"Pathetic. I trigger Kuriboh Swarm Defense!" The lightning bolt exploded before reaching the field as a massive swarm of thousands of Kuriboh flew up out of the trap card to block it. Hundreds of them were blown to pieces, but still thousands remained. The effect had been successfully negated.

"Fine, if that won't work I'll just have Gilford cut them down. Thunderbolt Cut!" Gilford the Lightning jumped right towards the wall of Kuriboh and swung his blade down, sending a stream of electricity with it. The attack collided against the swarming furballs and blew a hole in the defense wall. But it didn't go through, and soon the hole was patched by all the others.

"That won't do it. My Kuriboh Swarm Defense will protect me from having my monsters destroyed, one block for every single one of them. I've taken two so far, and since I have four monsters I can take two more. But wait, you don't have two monsters, so you can only use up one. Sucks for you!" She grimaced, realizing that there was nothing more she could do against this force.

"You've protected yourself this turn, but you can't defend the whole duel. I place one card face down and end my turn." Her card appeared next to her other two, nearly filling up her magic and trap zones. She had plenty of defense herself, and lots of attack power to boot. Meanwhile Taichi had one monster with a decent attack and three with pathetic attack. It didn't exactly seem even.

The furball using duelist could only smile as he drew his next card, reveling in the thought of what he was about to do. Oh how glorious it would be. _'No girl would ever give me a second thought. It didn't matter what I looked like, it was just because I wasn't popular. But I'll get what I deserve when I win.'_

"I guess I have to admit that you're right about one thing little girl. I can't stay defensive forever. Therefore I'm going to go on the offense right now by sacrificing one of my three Kuribohs in order to summon Kuri Dragon(1900/1500)!" The monster that appeared was long, sinuous, and furry. Its facial features were much like that of a Kuriboh, so it was like a furry dragon with a Kuriboh for a head, only without the paws.

"Now watch as it gains dark power, an then gains an additional five hundred points from King Kuriboh!" The cute face suddenly transformed as the other Kuriboh had done, becoming demonic in nature. Now it was breathing flame and drooling, looking like it was ready to devour her monsters. Not only that but its attack power had suddenly shot up by one thousand points.

"That's not all! Feel the wrath of my monster as it gains one hundred additional attack and defense points for every monster with 'Kuri' in its name. That includes itself, and therefore it raises to a grand total of thirty-three hundred attack power! And that's plenty!" The now mighty dragon let out a loud roar as it breathed flame into the air, ready to go on the offensive and strike down her monsters.

"From a weakling to a behemoth more powerful than my Gilford all in one turn. That is impressive. But are you forgetting my face down cards? With three cards waiting for you it can hardly be said that you can afford a wasteful attack. Or are you arrogant and confident enough to try?" The comment hung in the air, awaiting an answer. And it was certainly about to get one, because Taichi was going to show her his power.

"You really think your puny traps can stop the power of my Kuri Dragon? Well think again, because it's going to burn Gilford the Lightning to cinders right now!" The dragon tilted back its head, opened its jaws wide, and then belched up a tornado of fire that was headed straight for Kirani's monster.

"Thanks for the level five monster. Your attack triggers Starburst Formation, which will destroy your attacking monster and let me special summon a monster with an equal or lesser level. Say goodbye to your dragon!" A circular array of stars floated out of the card and reached out for the dragon. But the moment they touched it they shattered, leaving just motes of dust and no destructive effect. "What happened?"

"Surely you noticed the similarity between my King Kuriboh and Lord of Dragons. Well that similarity goes beyond appearance. King Kuriboh grants my 'kuri' monsters the exact same immunities as dragons get from the lord! So your trap was negated, and now Gilford is dead!" She grimaced as the attack wreathed her strongest monster in flames and torched it, leaving nothing but ash. (KLP: 3500)

"First blood belongs to me. And so will second blood! King Kuriboh attacks Gilford of Thunder!" The spellcaster raised his hands and placed his palms together, then launched a black beam of energy just like he had done earlier. Kirani smirked as the attack came closer to her monster, and then she depressed an activation button on her disk.

"Your monsters may be immune to targeted effects, but not to battle! Now by attacking a warrior you've allowed me to play my trap card, Assist! Its effect will let me special summon a level four or under warrior from my deck in attack mode and have it automatically become the target of your attack instead!" The trap showed a Marauding Captain holding a broken sword, with a Wandering Hero Freed standing above him, blocking a sword attack from Zombyra the Dark.

"A level four warrior? In attack mode? This won't help you at all, no level four can possibly save you from the power of King Kuriboh at twenty-five hundred points!" Kirani smirked and slapped the card she had chosen down on her disk. And from it rose a towering behemoth of a monster, at least nine feet in height with tattered black armor in the same style as Gilford the Lightning's. Its blade was the same as well, only it was blackened by dried blood.

"I beg to differ. Because I've just summoned the strongest monster in my entire deck, Berserker Gilford(3000/0)! And he just happens to be a level four! Berserker Gilford, counterattack! Berserk Thunderbolt Cut!" The warrior issued his battle cry and unleashed a stream of black lightning from his blade. It collided with King Kuriboh who screamed in pain and then exploded.

"Bitch! You think you've defeated my monster, but you haven't! I activate another of its special abilities, Split Nature! By separating it into its five pieces, therefore five Kuriboh, for a single turn, I can negate its destruction. At the end of the turn it will reform and I'll be back to normal!" It was as he had said, and his monster had split into five different Kuriboh. And since it was his turn there was no chance any would be attacked. (TLP: 3500)

"Looks like we're even. Oh but wait...we aren't. See, because Gilford the Lightning was destroyed in battle I get to special summon another unique level four from my deck. The soul that exists within Gilford. I summon forth Gilford-Soul of Lightning(2100/1000)! He also gains one hundred attack for every monster with 'Gilford' in their name in the grave. I've got two, so he has twenty-three hundred. Shake a stick at that." Her new monster was identical to Gilford the Lightning, only he was a being forged of pure electricity.

He sneered at her and then looked over his hand of a measly two cards. "Looks like I can't continue for the moment. But believe me, this duel is just getting started. My turn is over, but this duel will be over not in only a short number of turns."

Kirani looked over her hand, including her newest card, and started to do some mental calculation. _'Okay, if I go on the attack I can do some serious damage. I'll nuke King Kuriboh with Berserker Gilford for five hundred damage. It'll split into five Kuribohs, and each in attack mode. I can destroy one with Soul of Lightning for a total of fifteen hundred, and then another with Gilford of Thunder. That would drop him to just five hundred life points.'_

She glanced at her Berserker Gilford card, once again rereading the effect that she already knew by heart. Her card was powerful, but as a level four with that sort of power it had a serious drawback. _'By attacking with Berserker Gilford I'll manage to deal major damage. But at the end of the turn he'll die and I'll take half his attack power as damage to my life points. On the other hand fifteen hundred damage is worth dealing three thousand to Taichi.'_

With her plan ready to go into action, and no face down cards to stop her, she was about to start. "Berserker Gilford will destroy King Kuriboh." The monster unleashed his attack, and as predicted the creature split into its five parts, leaving them open for assault. Taichi reacted this way in order to have her attack, so she'd be open for a retaliation by Kuri Dragon in the next turn. (TLP: 3000)

"I'll destroy one of those Kuribohs with my Gilford's inner self. Soul Lightning Wave!" A wave of lightning bolts erupted from the electric blade wielded by Gilford-Soul of Lightning, each one zapping the targeted Kuriboh. It shrieked in pain before bursting into flames and turning into just a pile of smoldering ash. (TLP: 1500)

"Next I'll nuke another one with Gilford of Thunder. Stream of Thunder!" The warrior performed his stance, much like the samurai he appeared to be, and then sent his attack at the furball. It was sliced in half by the wave of power, and then disintegrated under the secondary shockwave caused by Gilford of Thunder's attack. That was the finishing blow of her turn. (TLP: 500)

"It doesn't really matter you idiot! My life points won't drop below what they are, so don't feel happy. And killing those stray Kuriboh won't stop King Kuriboh from returning at the end of your turn. So go ahead and end your turn so my monsters can destroy yours." She grinned and took two of the cards in her hand. One she slid into her disk and the other she set down on the field next to Gilford of Thunder.

"I'll place those two cards, a monster and a magic or trap card. Now I activate another power of Gilford-Soul of Lightning. It allows all monsters with 'Gilford' in their name to change modes multiple times in the turn. So I'll move both it and Gilford of Thunder into defense mode. That gives me three monsters to protect myself with." Taichi glanced over at her hulking berserker, obviously confused by her statement.

"Berserker Gilford is powerful, but he comes with a hefty side effect. As soon as I end my turn he's going to die and take fifteen hundred of my life points with it. Now that's all for me, so goodbye Berserker." The warrior shattered into tiny little pixels and faded away, leaving Kirani with her three defense monsters and her two face down cards. That was all she needed. (KLP: 2000)

Taichi drew his next card and then burst out laughing. "How perfect! I'll blow away your potentially hazardous cards using Heavy Storm!" She cursed as a powerful gust sent her two face down cards to the cemetery. Now she had three monsters to defend herself with and nothing else, while he had two strong monsters and three Kuribohs. She blinked as she realized that he actually only had one Kuriboh left.

"What happened to your other two Kuribohs? They were there at the end of my turn, I'm sure of it." Taichi grinned and pointed to his King Kuriboh as if that was the answer to it all. She tried to think of something, but she just wasn't able to come to a solid conclusion on what he meant.

"I see you can't figure it out. Well you killed two of the five pieces of King Kurbioh. He can't reform without pieces of himself, so I sacrifice a Kuriboh to regenerate the lost pieces. That's how he reforms when he's lost parts of his body. Get it?" He grinned ferally as she came to the conclusion that she was in trouble, because Gilford of Thunder and Gilford-Soul of Lightning didn't have much in the way of defense points. He could easily rip through her monsters.

"My three monsters will tear down yours!" The three creatures did just that, one with a cyclone of fire, another with a beam of black energy, and the final with slobbering teeth. In the end none of Kirani's monsters had survived the assault, and she was without any defense at all. No magic, no traps, and no monsters. But luckily he couldn't attack.

"Taichi, the face down monster you killed was Wise One Gilford(700/400). When flipped he lets me add a magic card from my deck to my hand, so I'll do so now." She picked up her deck and searched through it before finally settling on the magic card that she wanted. With that in hand there was nothing else she could do, but there was little else that Taichi could do.

"How nice. But since I have no more monsters and no cards with which to play or set, that looks like the end of my turn. Feel free to take yours, not that whatever you do will help. And no magic card can save you either." The smirking jerkoff's turn was over, which meant it was now time for Kirani to display the card she had gotten from Wise One Gilford's effect.

She drew, and then she was ready. "I set a card face down. But don't think that's all, because it's far from over. The card you allowed me to add to my hand is going to be the cause of your defeat. You may have strong monsters, but they won't survive this. I activate Enter the Storm, paying one thousand life points to do so!" (KLP: 1000)

A thundercloud rolled in overhead, rumbling at them. Little bolts of lightning jumped around inside of it, lighting it up. Taichi raised his head to stare up at the thundercloud, wondering exactly what was going to happen. "Prepare to pay the price of angering the storm Taichi. Come forth my Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!"

The deity of lightning touched down from above in a bolt of lightning, taking shape and showing off his power in a theatric display of lightning bolts. "The effect of Enter the Storm not only special summons Gilford, but it automatically activates Gilford's special effect. Raigeki Blade!" A single lone bolt of lightning shot down from the thundercloud above and crashed down on Taichi's side of the field, blowing his monsters away.

"Luckily for you I can't attack with Gilford when I special summon him in this manner. So you've got one turn to recover. Better hope you've got some serious luck in drawing cards, because if you don't this duel is going to end really quickly." Gilford smirked and folded his arms, staring down at the much smaller Taichi. Kirani flashed Gilford a grin, knowing that he was her ticket to victory in this duel.

Taichi glanced at his next card and instantly activated it, revealing Payment of Debt. Thus he was able to draw three more cards, giving him a total of five. "Wow, look at this. Payment of Debt, and now another draw card. Pot of Greed. Looks like I'm really greedy this turn aren't I?" He snapped two more cards off his deck, giving him a total of six cards in his hand. Four of which he were new ones.

"I've got everything I need to cause your defeat right here in my hand. Now I'm going to show you the true power of the unity of my the Kuri Clan! Prepare to lose the duel, and with it will come the loss of your soul!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Wow, a three part duel from me? Surprising considering I only had two of those in the previous story. For anyone who doesn't know, Gilford the Lightning is my favorite card in the entire game. I wish I had thought of this deck a long time ago, because if I had Drake would be using it instead of Kirani. But eh, oh well.

The White Mage: Taichi does indeed kick ass, but this isn't the same Taichi as he just explained. But hey, I love Taichi as the dark spirit was my favorite character to write. So I had to bring Taichi back one way or another.

G.O.T. Nick: He is at that.

VoidTemplar: Everybody likes the word cool. Well, had you been around earlier for my first story you would have realized I usually didn't update very fast. As for this chapter, it was already written and I chose to post it now. The chapter I had hoped to finish before posting this one isn't finished yet, but I didn't want you guys to have to wait too long. Grumbles Stupid writer's block.

Original Cards

Kirani: Gilford of Thunder, Magister of Lightning-Gilford, Squall Barrier, Starburst Formation, Assist!, Berserker Gilford, Gilford-Soul of Lightning, Wise One Gilford, Enter the Storm

Taichi: King Kuriboh, Kuriboh Swarm Defense, Kuri Dragon, Payment of Debt

Anime Original Cards

Taichi: Hane Kuriboh


	14. In Search of Dreams

Author's Notes: Kirani versus Taichi continues! 

POLL! READ THIS!: I thought of something I'd like to ask. I know two people's answers already. I want to know what each of you reading this story's favorite character is. It can be anyone from this story or the previous one, anyone at all.

Here are the people who I already know.

G.O.T Nick: Drake (I feel loved, my first OC created for this story and general protagonist gets a vote)

Time Mage: Dalin (So the big bad-ass angel duelist gets a vote. Not surprising considering he's such a deadly duelist)

Seeker of the Soul AKA Me: The Dark Spirit (I'm talking about the one who controlled first Taichi and then Kevin. He just kicks ass! I love the villains!)

Put your vote in your review. Thanks.

_**Chapter Thirteen: In Search Of Dreams**_

_Taichi glanced at his next card and instantly activated it, revealing Payment of Debt. Thus he was able to draw three more cards, giving him a total of five. "Wow, look at this. Payment of Debt, and now another draw card. Pot of Greed. Looks like I'm really greedy this turn aren't I?" He snapped two more cards off his deck, giving him a total of six cards in his hand. Four of which he were new ones._

_"I've got everything I need to cause your defeat right here in my hand. Now I'm going to show you the true power of the unity of my the Kuri Clan! Prepare to lose the duel, and with it will come the loss of your soul!"_

He sneered at her as he picked up a cad from his hand, ready to play it. Finally he slipped it into an activation slot on his Duel Pod and laughed as the familiar image of an ankh appeared on a green background. "I play Monster Reborn! This will call back my King Kuriboh(2000/1200) and he will again gain the bonus of the Seal!"

"In case you've forgotten my Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) has more attack points than your king, even with its power boost. So taking down my Gilford becomes a pure impossibility." Both she and Gilford smirked, and Gilford pointed his blade at King Kuriboh. Then he tilted it back towards himself, as if motioning King Kuriboh to come and get him.

"I said I had everything I needed in my hand, not that it would take just one card. Besides, I never claimed it would be King Kuriboh to be your defeat. I'll do it by activating Song of the Kuri Clan!" King Kuriboh suddenly closed his eyes and started to sing. It was an enchanting merry little tune, which sound like it was describing many small fuzzy animals frolicking. Which it probably was considering the sort of monsters it referred to.

"Did I already mention King Kuriboh's similarity to Lord of Dragons?" Kirani stepped back slightly, realizing what he must mean by that. If King Kuriboh was the Lord of D. for Kuribohs, then Song of the Kuri Clan had to be...

"According to the effect of Song of the Kuri Clan I shall now summon two monsters with 'kuri' in their name from my hand to the field. These creatures have been in my hand since the beginning of the duel and are about to show you true power. Come forth my two Blue Eyed Kuriboh Dragons(2400/2000 X2)!" Two shapes appeared beside King Kuriboh, and the moment the fully materialized Kirani burst out laughing.

A Blue Eyes White Dragon, obviously the name sake of this particular creature, could look quite fearsome. However the monsters that Taichi had just summoned were in no way fearsome by the farthest stretch of the imagination. Each one was big and roughly the same as a Blue Eyes White Dragon in body shape and wing span. "You've got to be kidding me..."

A Blue Eyed Kuriboh Dragon had one major difference from its dragon counterpart. It was brown and furry. That and at the end of its head it had a little round ball that was a Kuriboh, only with no legs. It was like having a hairball as a head. "KURIII!!!!" Kirani couldn't help but sweat drop, even as they become more demonic from the power of darkness.

"Laugh while you can. Because now the power of my dragons kicks in! They gain two hundred attack for each monster with 'kuri' in it's name on the field, counting itself! Therefore my two dragons, with the boost from the Seal and King Kuriboh, hit a power of four thousand!" The now demonic dragons roared this time, in a way that was far more threatening than simply a loud shrill cry.

"Now I'll end you! Blue Eyed Kuri Dragon(4000/2600), attack and destroy Gilford! Bubble Burst Stream!" The massive furry dragon launched a wave of blue energy in the form of combined bubbles. It streaked towards Gilford and then suddenly was canceled out in mid-air, causing no damage and not even touching the warrior.

"I'm not one to allow my monsters to be killed so easily. So I defended myself with Negate Attack. Which means your battle phase and your turn are both over!" Taichi grinned and then shrugged, obviously not bothered by her defense. After all, he had two monsters with four thousand attack and one with twenty-five hundred, and all she had was a monster with twenty-eight hundred.

As soon as Kirani drew her next card, she knew she had the duel in the bag. And once she won Taichi would be losing his soul. "I'm going to end you Taichi, not the other way around. I equip Gilford the Lightning with his perfect weapon, Lightning Blade! That will pump him up to thirty-six hundred attack power!"

A large sword appeared in Gilford's left hand, crackling with electricity. Now he had two blades, and a power nearly as great as the two dragons had. But that wasn't her plan at all. "With his added power Gilford has more than enough strength to drop your life points to zero in one strike. Gilford, strike down King Kuriboh with Thunderbolt Cut!"

The lightning powered blade sliced right through King Kuriboh, who immediately split into five different Kuribohs. However the damage was going to be eleven hundred and Taichi only had five hundred points left. Meaning he was finished. But there was no sound of clicking life points. "What happened? Your life points should be at zero!"

"I can see fully well why you're such a weak duelist. You 'can't understand basic strategy. I run a Kuriboh Deck and you think I'd be open for easy damage? She cursed, realizing his meaning. The card he had left in his hand, which was now conspicuously absent, must have been a Kuriboh. He had to have discarded it to drop the damage to zero.

"Don't let that get you down, because I've got plenty going for me. For instance, my trap card which can be triggered when a Kuri Clan member is destroyed in battle. Angry Kuriboh Swarm, tear her Gilford to shreds!" A buzzing sound could be heard as thousands of Kuriboh burst out of his trap and headed straight for Gilford like a living comet.

The normally cuddly creatures turned hellish even without the aid of the Seal, and tore into Gilford. The warrior blew many of them away with his lightnings, but it wasn't enough. They bit into his flesh, and tore away his armor. Soon he was nothing but a bloody corpse, and Kirani's life points took a hit. (KLP: 200)

"Angry Kuriboh Swarm not only destroys the offending monster, but it reduces your life points by one hundred times the offender's level. So now you're down to your last two hundred points. Fun isn't it?" Kirani grimaced and was forced to make the only move available to her. She set a monster on the field and declared her turn as over.

Taichi yawned and grabbed a card, giving him the same number of cards as Kirani had. Just one in the hand. He glanced at his card and then slid it into his Duel Pod. "Let's reveal the true gulf between our power shall we? I play Life Spring of the Kuri Clan. This magic card will raise my life points by the total power of all Kuri Clan members in play."

Kirani did the math and came up with a very bad number, one that didn't bode well for her at all. "That's right! I now gain ten thousand five hundred life points! And that's fifty-five times the total of your life points!" His life points shot up and left hers way behind in the dust. (TLP: 11000)

"You don't stand a chance. I told you I was your better, and now I'll prove it. King Kuriboh, clear a path for your subjects to destroy this wicked human!" The spellcaster vaporized the defending creature, giving Kirani no remaining way to defend herself. No monsters and no magic or trap cards. All she had was a single card in her hand and she hadn't been able to play it so far.

"Bubble Burst Stream Times Two!" The two dragons launched their energy bubbles, each beam going straight for Kirani's life points. Suddenly the bubbles vanished and the dragons settled down on their haunches to wait for another chance to attack.

"Nobody said you could attack Taichi! You're the offender in this case, because you destroyed a monster of mine. This monster never did enjoy life, but in death she strikes back by preventing your monsters from going into battle! The creature you killed was The Unhappy Maiden(0/100) whose effect ends your battle phase!" She smirked smugly, knowing that she had yet another chance to recover now. It wasn't everything, but it was something.

"How very fitting. You save yourself with a monster that's a lot like you. Sad and weak! I'll end my turn knowing that no matter what you top deck it won't save you from my power. I'm just too strong for someone like you to handle!" She grimaced, fearing that he was right. She had one useless card and couldn't think of any way to save herself.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin's eyes shot open very suddenly. His skin was tingling, and he knew something was wrong. "Some power has covered this vessel. I fear it is malignant." He rose from his bed and grabbed some clothing. He would gather the others and find the source.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kirani drew her card slowly, almost afraid to look. When she finally did she sighed with relief and played it. "I use the power of Swords of Revealing Light to lock you down for three turns!" The green swords slammed down around Taichi's monsters, keeping them in place and keeping him from attacking.

"All you're doing is running away. It won't help at all." She kept a confident face, but inside she felt that he was right. His monsters were just too strong for her to handle, even her most powerful monster couldn't match these behemoths. The swords were just a temporary defense and they wouldn't hold.

_'Taichi is right. Even the swords won't keep me safe forever. And when they fade he's going to rip through my life points. And if that happens the Seal of Orichalcos will activate and I'll lose my soul.'_ She shuddered, and Taichi saw it. He knew without even trying that it was a shudder of fear, not because of the cold.

"Your turn is over, so allow me to begin mine!" He snapped another card off his deck and then flipped it over so he could see it. Laughing he placed it down on his Duel Pod next to the purple card, King Kuriboh. The monster he summoned appeared next to it on the field.

"I summon Cyborg Kuriboh(1000/700) whose power will come in handy sooner or later. Also he gains a total of one thousand attack points from the Seal and from his king. Since I can't attack, I'll end my turn." The monster he had summoned was half-machine and half fur-ball. That was all it could be described as. Simply a part mechanical Kuriboh.

Kirani's next card draw was not what she had been hoping for. She groaned at the sight of the warrior she had drawn. _'Gilford the Lightning....he's a level eight! I cant summon him without a sacrifice and Enter the Storm costs too many life points for me to afford right now. I have to hope he doesn't draw anything that can get rid of my swords.'_

"It appears you didn't draw anything. That's fine with me. Oh, and I'd like to take this moment to remind you of something. This time, when your soul is taken, there won't be anyone to restore it. Your friends will fall soon enough and Drake isn't going to show up to save the day!" Her hands shook from his words because in her heart she felt he was telling the truth.

The dark haired duelist activated his newest card quickly, not even waiting for Kirani to declare the end of her turn. It was obvious that she couldn't play anything, so it was all up to him. "My Kuri Clan is happy at how close to defeat you are. Therefore they are going to do a dance."

At the quizzical look she was giving him he decided to give an explanation of what he meant. "Sorry if that was vague, but my next card requires that they dance from happiness. It is Joyful Kuriboh Dance. Now dance my monsters!"

The four creatures began to hop around, spinning in the air and squealing as they did so. Soon they formed a circle and danced that way, moving in a single unified formation, still singing shrilly. "What's the point of making them dance? It's cute and all, but what purpose does it serve?"

"Simple. It produces four Kuriboh Tokens, one for each dancing monster. And since I gain four Kuribohs my dragons gain eight hundred more points. Now take a look at the total power of my monsters! Blue Eyed Kuri Dragons (5000/3600 X2) who are now invincible! Equal to the strongest fusions in the entire game!" And they were at that. What was worse was that there were two of them.

"Consider yourself lucky I haven't drawn a third one or another specific card. Because if I did, you'd be seeing the mighty Ultima Kuri Dragon. But since I haven't, I guess I'll just end my turn and leave you with that fear in mind." His two dragons roared, shaking the field and the other monsters. With eight monsters in play even the Seal would only allow him to play two more cards.

The scantily clad woman drew a new card. But once again she wasn't rewarded with anything she could make use of, and this was her second to last free turn. _'Bolt From The Blue? I can only play this if Gilford the Lightning is in play. Damn, how useless. How can I beat him if I can't draw any worthwhile cards?'_

"Kirani!" She turned her head to look over her shoulder and spotted the entire gang standing on the deck of the boat, right outside the Seal. They had at last woken up, and now they were hear to watch and cheer her on.

"Hmph. I knew the Fog of Sleep wouldn't keep you all under forever, but I was hoping to have this finished before you woke up. Not to worry, it won't take anything but a few more turns to end this duel." Several sets of eyes widened in horror at the sight of Taichi, each one having witnessed the horror that this person had inflicted upon their friends.

Dalin stepped forward, his shoulders squared and power raging through his body, waiting to be unleashed. "After the dark spirit was destroyed you were given a chance to get help! It was to be your time of recovery! But you've thrown it away and accepted the darkness back into your heart! And because of that you cannot be forgiven. Kirani, crush him."

She nodded and then turned her attention back to the duel. Taichi harrumphed, and placed his fingers on the top of his deck. "You don't have anything to play, so if you don't mind I'd like to get started." Kirani sighed and motioned for him to continue.

"Before I really begin, I'd like to show you exactly what the cause of your suffering is. It is in fact the one person you trusted most of all!" A miniature tornado coiled around the fog that surrounded them all and pulled it inwards, allowing it to settle specifically on the whole group. And they were thrown backwards in time by less than a day.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_DAISUKE, I UNDERSTAND YOUR DESIRE TO INSTILL BALANCE. IT IS INGRAINED INTO THE POWER THAT FLOWS THROUGH YOUR BODY, THE POWER THAT LONG AGO SEALED ME INTO AN AGELESS PRISON. BECAUSE IT WAS THAT POWER'S PURPOSE I BEAR NO ILL WILL. I TOO HAVE A PURPOSE THAT I MUST CARRY OUT, AND SO I SHALL ENTREAT YOU TO NEGATE THE BALANCE, AND ALLOW ORDER TO REIGN._**

_As he stumbled away from the figure, his mind and body reverberating with the voice, Drake realized that not all that he felt was pain. There was pleasure, indescribable unstoppable irrevokable pleasure. This must be what hearing the voice of God felt like...and it this was not God. He didn't know what this was. "What do you want of me?"_

_The scarlet robed figure moved towards him, and he lashed out with his power, trying to stop its advance. A torrent of explosive energies generated by one of the greatest sources of power in this world or any other ripped from his hands and assailed the figure. Every ounce of that power vanished moments before touching the scarlet robes, and Drake knew that somehow this creature had more power than he did._

**_AS THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BALANCE OF THE WORLD YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU A PURPOSE TO PROTECT THAT BALANCE. YET AS A HUMAN BEING, MORTAL, IMPERFECT, AND MORAL, YOU HAVE ANOTHER PURPOSE. YOU MUST BALANCE THOSE TWO PURPOSES AGAINST EACH OTHER. ONE PURPOSE WILL KEEP THIS WORLD AS IT IS, IN A STATE WHERE TERRORISM, HATRED, AND INSANITY RULE OVER ALL. I HEED YOU TO CALL UPON YOUR HUMANITY AND CHOOSE THE BETTER PATH. MY POWER CAN BRING ORDER TO THE WORLD, AND ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS YOUR ACCEPTANCE._**

_"How can I now that you can really do this? Preaching about bringing order to the world is one thing, but really doing it is another. I can tell you have plenty of power, but power doesn't accomplish things on it's own. I've learned that quite recently. Offer me proof." The figure tilted its head to the side and then gave him a brief nod before flowing forwards across the stone. Now it stood in front of him and raised a robed arm. Despite the fact that he knew it had no hand, he felt a tangible brush across his cheek, and then two hands cupped his face._

_Drake's entire body spasmed as his eyes and mind saw something that was beyond human comprehension, beyond words known and utterable by his species or any other. It was perfection. A world of feelings and thoughts so pure and orderly that his mind could barely fathom it all, and under that assault of pure order his mind began to crumble._

_Moments before he hit the brink he was pulled back, leaving that perfect world and coming to rest back in his own. He fell to his knees in the front of the figure, and did what he hadn't done in a long time. He broke down and cried._

_He did not cry because of the near loss of his mind, or for pleasurable pain that he still experienced when this creature spoke. Instead he cried because the world around him was so disorderly, so chaotic that it threatened to rip him apart. The world was a terrible place, and it was painful to be without that perfection that he experienced when this being touched him. "Please....I don't want it all to be like this. Make it stop, please?"_

_That masked face tilted to look down at him, and Drake swore he saw it smile down at him. That feeling of a smile washed away a bit of the pain, making it bearable. That smile made him understand how these others that surrounded him were able to stand being in this world. They had his presence to make it all feel right again._

**_THE WORLD IS CHAOS. YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED A SMALL TASTE OF THE PERFECT ORDER THAT I AM CAPABLE OF BRINGING TO THIS WORLD. ONLY THROUGH MY PRESENCE CAN THIS BE DONE, FOR I AM ALL THAT ORDER IS. IT IS MY PURPOSE TO BRING ORDER, THEREFORE I SHALL DO SO. PART OF MY PRESENCE IS SEALED AWAY BY THE HEARTS OF MAN, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ALL OF THEM MADE BY THE HEART OF BALANCE. WHEN THIS SEAL IS BROKEN MY PRESENCE WILL PERVADE THIS WORLD, AND I CAN BRING ORDER._**

**_ALL WILL BE MADE RIGHT IN THIS WORLD, ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR PURPOSE AS A HUMAN BEING. DAISUKE IHACHI WAS NOT PUT ON THIS EARTH TO FIGHT, TO DUEL, OR EVEN TO RELEASE ME. HE WAS PUT ON THIS EARTH TO CHOOSE. NOW DAISUKE, MAKE YOUR CHOICE. SET THE WORLD FREE OF THE CHAINS THAT BIND IT IN THE AGONY THAT YOU FEEL. SAY THE WORD, AND EVERYTHING CAN BE PUT RIGHT. EVEN YOUR SISTER._**

_Whether it was the perfect world he had experienced, the vastly powerful presence that was invading his mind, the creature's words, or the simple mention of his sister that caused Drake to make his choice could not be said. There was simply no way to know what made him make his choice. All that could be known was his choice. "I release you from your bondage."_

_A prism of energy exploded from Drake's body, sending arcs of energy that moved between every color of the spectrum all that once. These arcs danced across the room, filling it with a heavenly light. Drake and robed figure were consumed by it, a single beacon of light that shone brighter than anything else. The seal was broken._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The whole group was astonished by what they had seen. And Kirani couldn't help but fall to her knees, the shock evident in her eyes. Someone far away in the distance tried to shout something out to her, but she couldn't hear them. Her faith had been shattered. "Why Drake?"

Taichi laughed as he drew his card, savoring her renewed pain. She had thought she was recovered from her fear and insecurity, but in fact it had merely allowed her to be hurt again by a different source of information. "Because he cares only for his desires! The rest of you are nothing to him, and he cast you and the rest of the world aside, giving in to our cause because we could grant him what he most wanted!"

He finally looked at his card, and then his eyes narrowed into a dark malevolent look. "It appears that the time has come for me to unveil my true power to you. The thing that I desired so much is here, and it will be your end. I play my key card: Heart of Power!"

A golden blaze surrounded him, forging upon his head the symbol of power, granting him an energy that surpassed even the Seal. Should he want to, crushing it would be easy. "The great strength of the Heart of Power will first allow me to create a new monster by unifying three of my Kuribohs into one! So I create this creature!"

The symbol of power appeared on each monster's head, mixing with the Seal. And three of the four Kuriboh jumped together, forming a golden glow. When the glow was gone a tall and powerful looking warrior stood in their place. His armor seemed to have been created by the Kuriboh, as the eyes of a Kuriboh were on the breast plate and it was a brown color. But other than that he was human.

"This is the one human in all of existence to join with the Kuriboh, to become part of the Kuri Clan! He is what I am, the only human to understand their strength, their power! Knight of Kuriboh(1000/1000)!" The knight raised a long golden blade and slashed it through the air a few times.

"My monster may appear weak, but I'll have him absorb the power of each Kuri Clan member on the field, gaining their effects and their power!" The five other monsters were pulled into his blade, leaving the field bare except for this one monster. And his power began to skyrocket.

"He has just absorbed a total of thirty-three thousand three hundred points of power. Meaning his attack and defense raise by that amount, setting him at thirty-four thousand three hundred attack and defense power!" All of them were truly astonished by this amazing display of power, but it didn't appear that it was all that was going to happen.

"Now the Heart of Power will instantly double the new power, setting him at a new grand total of sixty-eight thousand six hundred! At this rate he is unbeatable! But luckily for Kirani this is the last turn for the Swords of Revealing Light, so it is all over." He smirked smugly, and then his turn was over. Now it was up to Kirani to recover from this awesome display of strength.

The calls of her friends fell on deaf ears. Kirani was once again trapped in the darkness of her mind. Fears and insecurities that made him far more fragile than anyone could have guessed. The thing that had made her this way might never be known, but that wasn't important. What was important was saving her very soul.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The sun was right at the bottom of it's arc, half hidden by the skyline, it's dimmed glow sending waves of crimson across the clouds. A reflection of the sun could be seen in the waters, and it made a rainbow pattern of light appear there. The scene at the Domino Peer was amazing, and standing at the pier gave Kirani a perfect view. She sighed, leaning against the railing as she stared out into the setting sun. "It's perfect."_

_"I've felt the same way every time I've been here." Kirani turned around, discovering that the speaker was none other than Drake Ihachi. She let out a string of laughter and quickly embraced him in delight. He returned the hug, and Kirani couldn't help but remember the past like this. Being in his arms felt so right...but no. He only saw her as a good friend. After all, they didn't really know each other that well._

_Kirani pulled back from the hug, grinning up at Drake, who she hadn't seen for close to three months. Not since he had last departed Domino. "Good to see you ya big lug. How goes things with Kaiba? I hear you two are becoming close." She laughed at the thought of that. She had heard about the duel the two had fought, and what had happened. What was amazing was that they were dueling in a mainly friendly manner. Anything friendly and Seto Kaiba didn't seem to mix in her mind._

_"Not close per se, he still considers me something of a rival though. The money is definitely good, it's better than my last job with KC. It lets me pay for my sister's hospital fees, pay for Tenjiku's apartment, my own, and with enough left over for some perks. Plus job security is great, and there are other benefits. But enough about me. I wanna hear what you've been up to." She smiled that amazing smile of hers that out shown the sun, and turned to lean against the railing. He joined her there, both of them watching as the sun set._

_"After the Ghouls disbanded I did some dueling. But I was at a little fishing village when I found what I really wanted to do. There was a family there who was looking to hire someone to be a pilot for their boat, drive them around a bit on the waters. It fit me so well, I knew I could do it and love it. I've had plenty of experience piloting boats, and I just love the ocean. So I took the job. I've had several others, but at the moment I'm the personal pilot for some rich family's yacht. The pay is decent, and I get to be on the ocean all I want." There wasn't a sound for several seconds, but then Drake spoke up again._

_"What is it about the ocean that you love so much?" The older girl sighed a bit, a wistful look on her face as she began to speak._

_"I love the ocean because of its beauty, and because it seems to be an endless dream. I feel that I can get lost in its great depths and yet still be happy. The ocean is freedom, and that's what I've always wanted in life. To be free to do as I wish to go where I wish. That was the real reason I joined the Ghouls in the first place, in order to escape the mediocrity of normal life. But it just ended up being a different version of the same thing." She let out another sigh and leaned in against his shoulder, relaxed at being so close to him._

_"The Ghouls saw you as sort of a mother figure you know. Malik may have created the Ghouls, but you were the one who kept most of them together. Not those psychos that Malik had as his heavy hitters, but the regular people amongst us. Some of the things Malik wanted us to do weren't exactly good things, but no matter how bad it got they said you were always there. And I guess they agree with me on one thing. One look at your smile just sets everything right." Kirani had no idea what to say to that, so she merely tried and came up empty. A sputtering response that didn't get her meaning out._

_"I've always thought dreaming was best when you're awake honestly. To really live your own dream in life is the best thing I could possibly think of. One day, maybe we should both take a trip on a boat of our own. Nobody to keep us in line, no mediocrity for us. A life of freedom, a dream of life." He didn't look at her as he spoke. Instead his gaze stayed focused on the horizon where the sun was continuing its descent. Her gaze followed his, and they continued to enjoy the view._

_"You're always dreaming Drake. That's one of the things I like about you. The times I've heard you say "Kirani, I've always had a dream of doing this, or doing that" makes me feel happy. To know that somebody in the world still has joy from simple things. Despite your tough exterior and your fighting spirit, I think you're more of a kid inside. Always chasing after dreams." Drake laughed at this, but he didn't bother to deny it. Kirani leaned in closer to him, and if this meant something to Drake he didn't let on. She placed her head on his shoulder and felt herself drifting off._

_"I'm that way because of one simple fact. We're most alive when we're chasing dreams. Don't you think so Kirani?" The lonely duelist felt something inside her snap, as with these words she became aware that once again her mind was replaying events that had already happened._

_"You betrayed us Drake. It's all your fault. I just want to know why."_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taichi folded his arms and stared smugly across the field, focused on not his opponent, but those outside the Seal. "Now you see. She has fallen into a pit of despair, one of her own making as a matter of fact. Her mind has fallen apart, and soon she'll be consumed by her darkness and that of the Seal of Orichalcos! And each of you will follow her!"

Dalin, with his arms also folded, stared down the young duelist. His body language as always spoke of supreme confidence. "Don't be so certain Taichi. Take a look at her eyes. Look deep within them, and tell me what you see."

The other duelist did so, staring carefully into the girl's eyes. Suddenly he jolted backwards as if stung, apparently seeing something that didn't sit well with him. "Her eyes...they're filled with fire..." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Well, don't you have anything at all to say for yourself? It's your fault isn't it?" She glared at Drake, her eyes trying to pry the information out of him. He continued to stare off into the sunset, almost as if stunned._

_"I'm only a fragment of Daisuke Ihachi, you know that right?" Kirani blinked in surprise, not knowing what he was talking about at all. She shook her head, and he sighed, lowering his to stare down at the water below._

_"Daisuke himself doesn't realize it. In the moment that Taichi moved to shatter his soul, to wipe it out utterly, there existed a piece that he could not possibly touch. You see, Daisuke learned a little bit later by his own will that small echoes of his soul in other people had been returned together to allow the regeneration of his soul." She listened raptly, even though she had in part heard this story before. It was always interesting._

_"Like I said, there was on piece of his soul that Taichi couldn't have destroyed, even if he had known to strike out at those echoes. It was a piece that was in his possession the whole time and he didn't know it. Because that piece was part of a soul he had taken. Yours." This wasn't something she had heard before. And she found herself speechless._

_"That piece of his soul bonded with yours, and I'm the result. I'm the part of Daisuke that will be with you forever. I am the piece of him that was granted to you without him ever realizing it." He turned to her and placed his big hands on her shoulders. His violet eyes stared deeply into hers, and she felt as if she were falling from a great height._

_"But then why? Why did you do it?" The fragment grimaced, but refused to turn his head away. This was something that needed to be said, something that absolutely needed to be done. There was no turning back now._

_"It happened because of the power Eikyuu holds. But please believe me, I would never do anything to hurt you! I couldn't do anything to hurt you." Kirani saw, to her surprise, wetness building up in his eyes. He was holding back tears!_

_"Damn it! I could never hurt you, I'd die for you! Kirani, don't you understand? I don't care anymore if you return these feelings. I'll tell you now what part of Daisuke's soul I am! I'm his love for you!" And then his lips met hers._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kirani threw back her head and screamed. And as she did a pillar of bright red light shot up from around her, covering her and shooting high into the sky. It expanded rapidly, washing over Taichi until it hit the barrier of the Seal of Orichalcos. "DRAKE!"

The red energy pressed against the Seal, and cracks began to appear along it. With on last surge of power it blew the Seal of Orichalcos apart, and then the red glow dimmed down so that it only surrounded Kirani. And in red upon her forehead was a special symbol. "Taichi, I've realized my power. Witness the Heart of Love!"

"So you do possess one of the Hearts of Man. I'm surprised. But don't think it can save you, because my Heart of Man is simply too deadly to be defeated. Or should I say 'too powerful'." He started laughing, but was cut off when she gave a quick response.

"I don't care how powerful you are. If you think you can, defeat me with all of your strength. My Heart card versus yours. My turn is over." She folded her arms and stood ready with utmost confidence. She was counting only on her Heart card to win the duel for her, because she had no other cards on the field and three useless cards in her hand.

"This is pathetic. The Heart of Power is ten times the weapon that Heart of Love is! You don't stand a chance against it!" He smirked and drew his next card, which meant he had one card to use and his incredibly powerful Soldier of Kuriboh on the field. With its power no amount of life points could save her.

"You make the mistake of thinking Love is a weapon. But since you're so confident, why don't you show me the full extent of Power." He nodded and then raised his arms up above his head, allowing a massive golden aura to shimmer into view above him. He started to chant, calling upon the energies of his Heart card.

"Prepare yourself Kirani! I activate the ultimate ability of Infinitum! By paying ten thousand life points I can set one monster's attack power at Infinity for good!" He laughed as the golden energy shot down and washed over Knight of Kuriboh, giving it an enormous amount of power. His life points dipped severely, but that didn't matter as he now had a monster with infinite power. (TLP: 1000)

"Don't forget the effect of my Knight! Whenever it gains a power boost it automatically sets itself at double that amount. Therefore Knight of Kuriboh now has two times infinite attack power!" All those watching were in awe, hardly able to believe that Taichi had created a monster with double infinite power.

"I'll end this duel in a Blaze of Glory! This magic card triples the attack power of one monster, only it would die at the end of the turn. So Knight of Kuriboh(6 X Infinite/6 X Infinite) then doubles it again to become twelve times infinite attack and defense power!" Nothing like this had ever been witness before, and the water around them was starting to churn under the power being generated by Knight of Kuriboh.

"Do you think that's all? You asked me for all of my power, so I'm giving it. I'll play three cards from my deck which can be activated at any time! Three Kuri Support Cannons, which will double the attack of any monster with 'kuri' in its name for the duration of the turn!" To their shock Knight of Kuriboh's power doubled, then again, and again, and again, and again, and again. At long last it settled at seven hundred and sixty-eight times infinite power.

"When I attack Knight of Kuriboh is going to destroy a huge swath of this planet and all of you with it! Because when I attack I can automatically double the power of one monster with a base of fifteen hundred or under using the Heart of Power! Now, Knight of Kuriboh, attack with Divinity Slash!" The soldier raised his blade overheard and an aura of golden energy surrounded it. The water around them was pushed upwards, created an effect similar to that which had occurred in Egypt thousands of years earlier with the parting of the Sea of Reeds. The boat was suspended in mid-air, and the soldier's power was continuing to grow.

"Finish her off now Knight of Kuriboh(3072 X Infinite/3072 X Infinite)!" He swung his blade and a massive ball of golden power erupted from the end. It streaked towards Kirani and then all of what surrounded them was consumed by a ball of gold fire that roared miles into the air, forming a dome of flame and a mushroom cloud that could be seen for hundreds of miles away.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Miles away on the shoreline two men were watching the ball of fire. One with boredom, the other with amusement. D'harim turned to his companion in the white robe and spoke in his cruel tones. "It would seem that Taichi has crushed his target. But I'm still wondering. Who do you have to eliminate first?"

The white robbed man turned away, shadows falling across his robed face, making it impossible to see under half of it. "I'll destroy my initial targets. But only because I must. They're just one step between me and my real target." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The golden light suddenly reversed directions and imploded, leaving no trace that it had ever existed. And neither player held any glow or extra power whatsoever. The duel was over. "What the hell just happened? All of you should have been vaporized!"

Kirani sighed and turned away from him, walking back towards the others. "I told you before you made your move that the Heart of Love wasn't a weapon. So I used one of its initial abilities to allowed me to surrender in order to drop your life points to zero. Therefore the duel ends as a tie, and your attack didn't connect." (Kirani: Forfeit, TLP: 0)

"Bitch! I'll depart for now, but when I return none of you will be safe!" A tiny tornado formed around him and lifted him up and away. Soon he was completely out of sight, and Kirani let her act drop. She dropped to her knees, exhausted from the power it had taken to have Heart of Love absorb the enormous attack.

Dalin stared out towards the shoreline that was barely visible in the now rising sun. "The power we just saw was astounding. But despite the incredible strength of two of our opponents we must press onwards."

Kai stepped up next to him, his two-colored eyes also staring out into the distance. "I have a feeling this battle is just getting started. But whatever comes our way, we'll fight back. No power in the world can keep us from success." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Holy rusted metal Batman! 3072 X Infinite attack power!

Void Templar: I'm surprised you caught that thing from the original Taichi in the original story. Good work.

The White Mage: Yep, he is sick. But it's fun to write those characters.

WolfGeneral: I enjoy writing a duel with the Kuriboh Deck so much. A lot of the cards are funny, which makes it just as good as Pegasus with a Toon Deck.

G.O.T. Nick: Looks like you were wrong. Taichi will live on, as will Kirani. Prepare for more Kuriboh! MWUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Original Cards

Taichi: Payment of debt, King Kuriboh, Song of the Kuri Clan, Blue Eyed Kuri Dragon, Angry Kuriboh Swarm, Life Spring of the Kuri Clan, Cyborg Kuriboh, Joyful Kuriboh Dance, Heart of Power, Knight of Kuriboh, Blaze of Glory(Vaurnut's), Kuri Support Cannon

Kirani: Heart of Love


	15. Movement of the Dark Thief

Author's Notes: Look out! The Dark Thief is on the move! Oh wait...you guys have no clue who that is? Well then read and find out. 

**_Chapter Fourteen: Movement of the Dark Thief_**

Mai Valentine was having a hard time play acting. She didn't know why it had become necessary for her to do so, but it had. After that big face had appeared in the sky everybody had started acting weird, and unless she acted like them she had a bad feeling things weren't going to end well for her. "This really sucks."

Her companions for the moment were three people. Duke Devlin, Tristan Taylor, and Rebecca Hawkins. In a manner of speaking she had been assigned them. The four of them were on group, while other groups had been created.

She had accidently bumped into the gang when they reached the shore, and she had helped them know what was going on. They had explained the full truth of the situation and decided that all of them would split up so they could search the city for more information, and of course she got stuck with these guys. _'I got stuck with these kids because the others assume that it isn't likely for them to be true targets. And if they are I'm here to defeat whatever opponent comes our way.'_

She bumped into someone while walking, and was spun around a bit. The same person dashed by the other three, knocking them out of the way. "Watch it you jerk!" Her words went unheard as whoever the jerk was, he was long gone already.

"I hate this city and I hate being a babysitter!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One of the other groups consisted of Kai, Ryu, Autumn, Tea, and Mokuba. They had decided that each group would consist of at least one strong duelist, and one person who wasn't really much of a duelist or one at all. So Mokuba and Tea were under the protection of Kai, Ryu, and Autumn.

The third group consisted of Dalin, Kirani, and Serenity. And each of these two other groups was somewhere else in the city, each group gathering information in order to figure out their next move.

At the same moment that Mai was complaining about babysitting Ryu Shigeru had just approached his companions and thrown something down on the table. It was a newspaper. "I think that thing is rather telling. Go ahead and read it, the front page article is really interesting."

Kai picked it up and looked at the large bold words over a picture of the face that had been seen by all. He read it aloud. "Messiah Arises. All Hail Great Lord Eikyuu." He grimaced for a moment, realizing just how bad that sounded. He also gave Mokuba and Autumn time to really understand what they were hearing.

"Yesterday the world changed as a fantastic holy light covered the Earth. All across the globe people were able to look up and see the face of their savior, the one true God of all mankind." He grimaced and chucked the paper back down, not wanting to read the rest. It was sickening.

Ryu took the paper and folded it up before shoving it into a pocket of his school uniform jacket. "The rest of the article is much of the same. It literally is just praise of Eikyuu and some preaching of the ideals of that group. Looks like at the very least the United States is dropping into Eikyuu's lap. Apparently Bush has already proclaimed that the U.S. is a nation under the rule of Great Lord Eikyuu."

Autumn shook her head, sad to make her own announcement. "It's not just the United States. I saw an article in a copy of the New York Times that dozens of nations around the world have proclaimed the same thing. It looks like all the big nations are first, particularly the heads of the United Nations."

The bi-eyed duelist blinked and then leaned forward across the table towards Autumn. "New York Times? Do you have that copy?" She nodded and handed him the paper. He swiftly started in one the article, apparently determined to uncover something.

Mokuba, the youngest member of the group, looked up at them from the crossword puzzle he was doing and asked a simple question. "What's Kai doing? Has he lost it or something?" The couple shrugged, neither being able to supply an answer.

"Believe me Mokuba, I've never understood Kai for the little while I've known him. He's a weird fellow. A bit too serious if you ask me." This earned Ryu a smack upside the head by Kai, who had amazingly struck the older boy with great accuracy despite the fact that he hadn't taken his head out of the paper.

"I think you deserved that."  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The world is falling to this Eikyuu person. And I can't for the life of me figure out where he is or how we can stop him. I'm certain the pure energy that's covering the globe that blocks my senses is generated by that odd sky. It makes it impossible to locate Eikyuu or any of his so-called Knights of Order." Dalin examined the Icon of Osiris as he spoke, contemplating some method of getting past his problem.

"I get the feeling that stopping Eikyuu isn't as simple as stopping some regular opponent. I mean, he apparently has god-like powers. Maybe he is a god, I don't know. But the fact remains that he could squash us like a bug if we try to oppose him. So why hasn't he?" Kirani was surprised at how logical Serenity's comment had been, and how many questions it raised.

The blonde duelist ran a hand through his now loose hair and sighed. He didn't look in top condition because he hadn't been able to spike up his hair as he usually did, and because he hadn't gotten much sleep over the past few days that they had been in the city. "I have an idea of why. I think he'd prefer to take our souls and then force them to convert to believing in him rather than kill us. After all, he wants order doesn't he? And we just stand in the way of that."

They sat there for a few minutes in complete silence. Finally Kirani couldn't take it any longer and stood up abruptly. "That's it. I'm tired of this waiting. We may not know where he is, but that doesn't mean we can't make any preparations for his eventual assault." Then she started walking off.

Serenity jumped up to go after her, crying out as she went. "Where are you going?" The older stopped and flashed the two others a big grin. And then she raised her wallet and smirked.

"I'm going to go to every card store in town and buy every last pack they've got. It may not be good for my account, but I do have access to some of the secret funds from the Rare Hunters. Plus there should be a card stash somewhere in the city that was set up by the Rare Hunters while they were in operation. So, you coming?"

With the prospect of a wide array of new cards the two others headed off, knowing that they'd bring back all the cards they could and spread them out evenly amongst them. Dalin of course had easily enough money to buy every card in the city, as he had made quite a substantial amount of money in different tournaments he had won, both of Duel Monsters and other games.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you three hungry? I'm going to get a coffee and I could get you guys something." The other three stopped in shock. The idea of Mai Valentine forking up cash of her own free will to buy something for someone else was truly astonishing.

"Well?" When there was only a dull and silent nod she rolled her eyes and marched off, the other three following in her wake. "You guys better be more talkative than that or else I'm getting you one salt packet each."

With that in mind each of them became more convivial as they walked with her to the coffee shop. They even talked while she was in line, finally ordering everything that they wanted. "That'll be $18.73 miss."

Mai nodded and reached into her purse to extract her wallet. The others waited as she ruffled around in the tasteful Prada bag. "Funny, I know my wallet's in here somewhere. I had it earlier this morning when I payed for breakfast. What could have...no way!"

Her mind flashed back to earlier as a vague figure brushed by each of them in a hurry. She grimaced and turned to the others. "Check and see if you guys have any money." The other three searched themselves for their own wallets but came up short, and she realized that they had indeed been robbed by that man from earlier.

"I'm sorry sir, you'll have to cancel our order. It looks like we've been robbed." A deep baritone laugh brought her attention to a seat near the door, where a man in what appeared to be clothes originating in the middle east sat. He wore simple white pants and a white shirt with a beige line running up the center that buttoned up. He also wore a wrapped turban with a red cloth entwined with it. The most surprising feature was a white cloth that ran across his face, covering his nose, his mouth, and his left eye.

"You're seeking the thief who stole your money yes? I happen to know a lot about thieves. Tell me where he took your money, and I'll get it back for you." Mai approached the man, uncertain what to think. He was certainly an unusual figure to see, but then again this was San Francisco, and lots of weird people came to California. For all she knew he was an actor of some sort.

"What's the price?" By the predatory gleam in his right eye she could tell that he was either smiling darkly or smirking. Which it was she couldn't say. He raised his right arm and gestured vaguely towards her DD2.

"You are Mai Valentine. The young girl is Rebecca Hawkins, and the dark haired boy is Duke Devlin. Two champion level duelists and the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. I'd be interested in seeing how talented you are in the game." With no other option readily available Mai extended her hand and took his. With one shake the deal was sealed.

"You won't regret it Miss Valentine. I'm a thief of thieves." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Roger Taney had been a thief most of his life. He'd made a lot of money doing so, though mostly he was just a pickpocket. He spotted people who looked they had cash and took their money. Because of how fast a pickpocket he was he had been able to keep going back. He called these people his 'returning customers.'

"Man, those four had a lot of cash on them. Particularly the babe. They'll learn not to carry so much on them from now on. Or they won't and I'll be happier. Tourists, all the easier to take from. They always have so much on hand." He chuckled happily and tossed the wallets into a nearby garbage, already having taken the money from them and putting it in his pocket.

He paused as he realized that something was missing. He had chucked the wallets towards the garbage, but there had been no sound of them hitting either it, or the ground. Roger turned and found himself staring at a tall man in Arab clothing, his left eye covered and his right eye dancing with a mysterious light. It was the light of amusement. "You should be more careful."

The strange man held up the four wallets that Roger had just attempted to dispose of, and proceeded to flip through them. When he saw nothing he tucked the wallets into a pocket on the inside of his button up shirt and then slipped a hand into his pocket. "Uhhh, yeah. Those were old wallets. I was just ditching them for some friends."

The man mad a clucking sound, like he was clicking his tongue against the back of his teeth in disapproval. "A bad thief and a bad liar. It's people like you who make people like me look bad." Roger had no idea what this guy was talking about, but his nerves were started to fray.

"Shut the hell up. You don't know what you're talking about. You can't prove I'm a thief, and for all you know I'm the best thief in the city. Now back off before I teach you a lesson." The Arab man dipping a hand into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, waving it back and forth.

"If you're the best thief this city has to offer than I'm thoroughly disappointed." Roger's eyes widened and he shoved his hand into his own pocket, fishing for the money he had stolen over the day. What he quickly discovered that his pocket was completely and totally empty. Hell, there wasn't even any pocket lint left!

"You! You stole that from me!" The other thief grinned beneath the cloth that covered his mouth and revealed a knife with a flick of his wrist. He sent it hurtling towards Roger with a similar casual gesture, and watched as the man stopped in his tracks. He had done so because the knife had imbedded itself in his shoe. The blade was right between his big toe and the toe next to it.

"Consider that a warning. This city and all its contents belong to the thief of the desert. If I catch you taking anything from any member of this city again, I'll make sure I aim higher. Perhaps between your legs instead of between your toes. Do we understand each other?" Roger gulped and slowly nodded his head, afraid to move at all. The thief smiled beneath the face cloth and then departed, vanishing around the corner in record time.

Finally regaining some confidence Roger dropped to his knees and pulled the dagger out. It was simple, with just a little decoration of a scorpion stinging a wasp to death on it. He wiggled his toes, happy to have them free. "That guy was scary as hell. And he's an incredible thief."

He started to rise when he noticed something he hadn't before. He stared down at his shoes in complete shock and then jerked his head up to stare at the place where the thief had vanished. He ran to the corner and turned, but found no trace of the other man. "That asshole stole my shoe laces!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey Dalin, this pack of the Light of Heaven expansion set had a secret rare in it. Take a look." Dalin caught the card he had been tossed by Kirani and took a careful look at it. By the holographic appearance it was indeed a secret rare, meaning there would only be a few hundred copies around the world.

He examined the effect of the card carefully and finally decided to set it aside in a 'might' pile. So far they had bought out four card shops and gotten quite a number of good cards. Not all would work for their decks, but he was certain that by the time they were done buying out all the card stores in the city all of them would have improved their decks. "At this rate we'll vastly improve our decks."

With some of their packs already looked through the group packed away the rest in a big bag and headed off for the next store, using a car they had rented as their form of transport. It would take them most of the day to go to every store and the Rare Hunter card stash, but it would be well worth it.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We all discussed it and thought about how much we had, and we've discovered that this is more than what was stolen from us. Are you sure you got the right guy?" The thief fiddled with a string while listening to Mai tell him about the money. But it didn't seem that he was listening, as all his attention was focused on that piece of string.

"Of course it is. You weren't the only ones that were stolen from, and therefore there was more money. So you can have the rest. I took my reward from him and I'll get my reward from you, so I'm not bothered by giving up such a tidy sum of money." When he mentioned the reward from the other thief he held up the string, and a twinkle appeared in his one visible eye.

"Your reward was a piece of string?" Rebecca's incredulous stare obviously amused the thief, because he burst out laughing.

"Not exactly. I stole his shoe laces. Stealing something from an incompetent thief has always made me satisfied. So I took the laces right off his feet without him noticing." Duke whistled in amazement. It was hard to believe that this guy was that good of a thief.

"I've got a place where we can have our duel. So why don't you come along." He turned and started to walk away, not looking to see if they were following him or not.

"Wait a second. We never got your name." The thief stopped in his tracks, a smile appearing underneath his cloth. This didn't reassure any of the group as they couldn't see it.

"I'm the dark thief of the desert. Nick Selket." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is it! This is exactly what I was looking for!" Kai slammed his hand down on the copy of the New York Times, his hand right on top of a picture of a few heads of nations meeting with robed figures bearing the infinity symbol as their crest.

"What the heck are you talking about Kai? You've been reading and rereading that thing for the past half hour or so, and you keep going back and forth and mumbling under your breath. How about shedding some light on it." Kai glanced up from the paper at Ryu and let out a deep relaxing breath.

"It's so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. Something Autumn said helped me make the connection. See, we've been trying to figure out where Eikyuu could be for awhile now. Well I've finally figured it out." This got their attention, and the others leaned in close to hear what he had to say.

"Not now, I'll tell you guys later. Let's find the others so I can tell them all then. This is too important for me to have to keep repeating it. Don't want anybody to overhear." Ryu groaned and dropped his head into his hands, upset that he was having to wait to hear.

Mokuba glanced over at the older boy and rolled his eyes. "I thought you got more patient when you were older, not less patient." Ryu shot him an evil eye out of the side of his hands.

Tea smiled and rubbed Mokuba's hair affectionately before tossing a rye grin to Ryu. "Most of the time that's right, but Ryu's a special case. He's impatient regardless of the outside situation." Now Ryu's baleful gaze turned upon the brunette, who just smiled cheekily back at him.

"What about Seto? He's about as patient as Joey is, only he's angrier about it." This got a laugh out of everyone, even Mokuba. They continued to joke around with each other, not noticing that one of their group, Kai, was only half paying attention. He was busy focusing on something else.

_'As light hearted as everyone is right now I can't bear to tell them. This whole thing is going to go south really quick once we have to head out to confront Eikyuu. And I don't think any of them truly realize exactly how much of a situation we're in.'_ He laughed casually, trying to keep himself in the conversation without scaring anyone. But inside, he was a mess, desperately trying to figure out his own emotions and ways to confront the oncoming problems.

_'Sooner or later, another member of our big group is going to get taken. There's no way to stop it from happening.'_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The four of them glanced around at their surroundings, uncomfortable with how hot it was. They were in what appeared to be a glue factory, and giant boilers for the materials were on all sides of them. They were all starting to sweat...except Nick. "How can you be so at ease in this place?"

"I'm the thief of the desert, doesn't that tell you something?" They each groaned, realizing how stupid their question had been. The name gave everything away, and now they had walked into an obvious joke on their own part.

"Now, I didn't think your friend would have a deck, so I supplied a big crate of cards, just for his use." Tristan approached the crate and opened it up. His eyes bugged out as he saw the number of cards in there, and he practically dived in to start assembling a deck for himself.

Mai peered at the strangely dressed thief from beneath her lashes. "Why exactly do you want Tristan to create a deck? He's no real duelist. And I thought you wanted to duel me." Nick crossed his arms and stared across at them all. The confident look in his visible eye shocked Mai, particularly when combined with his next words.

"I want to duel all four of you. Four on one, a duel to the finish. Winner take all, that sort of thing. I'll go first once we do begin, but it'll be simple. I play as normal, as do each of you. You may defend your partners, but only with face-up monsters. Mass target effects go for all of us, but most cards will only target one player. The order will be me, Mai, Rebecca, Tristan, and then Duke." Each of the others nodded, showing that they understood the situation.

Tristan hopped up from the side, holding up a thick deck of cards. "I'm ready. I just assembled a basic deck with forty cards. I figure you guys are the ones who'll do most of the work in this duel, so no need to protect me. I'm only dueling because he wants me to." The others nodded, and each of them picked up the duel disks that had been readied for them.

Nick stepped off to the side of a moment and rummaged around behind some crates. He spoke while he was doing so. "This duel is something I must do, and in part would like to do. Other parts I don't agree with, but I have to. You're my pathway, and therefore I must defeat you all." The sound of a disk activating was enough to tell them that he was ready. (NLP: 4000)

Still with his back to them Nick continued speaking. "I have one goal in mind, one that I won't speak of. And at the moment you four have been placed in my way by the will of others. I'm going to win this duel and do as I must, even though it isn't my desire. But defeating you will put me one step closer to my true goal, and that's what is important."

He let out a deep sigh and they saw him pick up the top six cards of his deck, giving them incentive to draw their own opening hands. He looked down at his cards and then select one of them, and pressed a button on his disk. Mai watched with trepidation, not certain if he was cheating while they couldn't see his actions. "I regret what I must do."

Nick whirled around and slapped down one of his cards onto an extended slot on his disk. And in that single moment Mai noticed that his duel disk was a pure white color and had an ovoid duel plate instead of the regular type of one. "Reveal magic card! Seal of Orichalcos!"

The seal roared into existence around them, its power affecting them all. And now Nick was ready, the green symbol of the Orichalcos burning clear upon his forehead. His visible eye reflected in its pale green glow, giving it an eerie look. The others were astonished that they had been so easily dragged into this duel. "Now allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Nick Selket, Third Knight of Order, Knight of Earth!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is the only answer that it could possibly be, and it all comes down to basic war strategy. Eikyuu has intents on creating a perfect world order, which means he controls the world in essence. Think about it, in war, what's a basic element of strategy to defeat an opposing nation?" The whole group had gathered together, except for Mai's group whom they couldn't find, and now Kai was explaining what he had figured out.

There was a brief pause as everyone repeated his question to themselves, and finally one of them spoke up. It was Dalin. "In war a basic strategy to defeat an opposing nation is to take their greatest stronghold, the heart of the nation. Cut off the head and the rest will fall...in other words to conquer the capital."

Kai slammed a hand down on the table, his eyes burning with a great fire. "Exactly! But we aren't talking about a single nation here, we're talking about the world. So what's the seat of power for the world? For a while I didn't have an answer, at least until Autumn supplied it to me without realizing it."

The others glanced at Autumn who merely shrugged, not knowing what she had done that had set him off. "Don't look at me. All I did was give him a copy of the New York Times."

The bi-eyed fellow sat back in his chair and folded his arms confidently. He set his eyes upon each of them in turn, and finally he said his piece. "The one place in all the world that can be considered its seat of power, the place where world order is personified...the answer is simple. Eikyuu is in New York. In other words, he's taken the United Nations Building as his key fortress. That's where Eikyuu is, and that's where we have to go." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With the Seal of Orichalcos active and Nick's strategy still unknown it seemed like things could get bad for the group. They were still confident though, since it was four against one. "Finding you was coincidence, but Lord Eikyuu wants your souls to be taken in order to convert you. Therefore I'll take them. And to do so I activate Reasoning!"

"According to the effect of this card one of you must name a level. I draw for a monster, and if it isn't of the named level I get to summon it. If not, I discard it along with all the other cards I drew." The four duelists pulled into a circle in order to consult each other, and finally they parted with their answer ready.

"Level four." Nick nodded and picked up the top card of his deck. After a single glance he discarded it, followed by the next two cards of his deck. Finally he drew what appeared to be a monster and slapped it down on the field, causing a glow of summoning to appear before him.

"You've allowed me to special summon Freed the Matchless General(2300/1700) to the field!" The blonde bearded warrior stood steady in front of Nick, with the symbol of Orichalcos on his forehead and his power raised. That made him a formidable threat of twenty-eight hundred attack.

"Now I'll summon the first of a special brand of monster. I summon Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000)!" His newest monster was a blonde skinny man, not looking to be much of a threat in his fairly ragged clothing. The monster sneered as his power rose according to the effect of the seal, giving him seventeen hundred attack power.

"Why are you doing this? I don't understand." This question came from the youngest member of the group. Rebecca stood with her arms folded, glaring at the teenage thief. Nick turned his eye on her and stared at her until she felt like her body was going to break apart.

"Because you four are in my way. And I'll cut down anyone who gets between me and my objective!" Mai, Duke, and Tristan couldn't help but think of Drake when he said those words. They had all been present when he had screamed that at Autumn before trying to kill her with Obelisk.

"Now allow me to prove my point. I play Quick Attack! This will allow both of my monsters to go on the assault even now, in the very first turn. So attack Mai directly!" The blonde duelist closed her eyes as two separate blows fell on her body. She vaguely heard the cries of her friends along with the ticking of her life points dropping to zero. Then there was nothing. (MLP: 0)

"I'll set the rest of my hand down on the field and end my turn. Go ahead, hurry it up. You're all just delaying me." Nick looked over at Rebecca, indicating that it was now her turn. He barely seemed to have noticed that he had just defeated a top tier duelist on the first turn and taken her soul.

"You're going to pay for that you big jerk! Now I draw!" Rebecca picked up her first card and immediately played it, revealing Graceful Charity. A giant angel appeared above her and let energy from a ball of light drop onto her deck. Rebecca picked up three cards and then took two other cards from her hand and shoved them into her graveyard.

"Fool! You've triggered my trap card, Skull Invitation! As long as it's in play whenever one of our cards goes to the cemetery we lose three hundred points. Therefore you'll lose nine hundred from playing Graceful Charity and discarding two cards!" Nick's trap flipped up, and three poltergeists flew out of it and squeezed down on Rebecca, making her cry out in pain. (RLP: 3100)

"That's fine! I summon Fire Princess(1300/1500) in defense mode!" She then shoved two cards into her disk and placed her hands on her hips, waiting for Tristan to make his own move. The spiky haired duelist gulped and picked up his next card to see what he could do.

"Okay, I start by playing Polymerization to fuse Robolady(450/900) with Roboyarou(900/450) in order to create Super Roboyarou(1200/500)! And I'll also set a card." Before he could celebrate his fusion he took a hit as three poltergeists also surrounded and injured him. (TLP: 3100)

"Since Super Roboyarou gains one thousand attack in the damage step when battling a monster I'll have it attack and destroy Cliff. That should just about even you up with us!" The machine warrior rushed forward, and to Tristan's surprise Freed the Matchless General jumped in the way and sliced it in half. (TLP: 2500)

"Idiotic amateur. When the Seal of Orichalcos is in play I can play my cards in either zone. So if I have a monster in the regular monster zone its considered to be Front Defense. If it's in an magic and trap zone then it's considered Rear Defense. You can't attack the back row without getting through the front, and if you try to the front row will defend. So you just lost your fusion. And now Skull Invitation will take another bite out of your life points!" The brunette groaned as he was hit by the power of Skull Invitation, setting him at the lowest amount of life points. (TLP: 2200)

The dark haired duelist stared at his hand of five cards, and then picked up another card to start off his turn. He stared at them and then casually slipped all of his cards but one onto the field. All of them revealed themselves as magic or trap cards. "That's all I can do for now. End."

Now it was Nick's turn, and the thief eagerly drew his next card. As soon as he had done so he placed the card face down and then pointed one hand at Fire Princess. "Cliff, destroy Fire Princess!" Rebecca smirked as she saw the monster coming, and then pressed a button on her disk.

"Reveal trap, Gravity Bind! This will keep all level four or higher monsters on the field from attacking!" Nick chuckled as Cliff punched straight through Fire Princess, getting it off the field and causing a poltergeist to attack Rebecca. She grimaced but managed to remain standing. (RLP: 2800)

"Nice try. It may save you from Freed, but it doesn't help against Cliff. He happens to be a level three, so your Gravity Bind trap card has no effect on him. Now go ahead and take your turn." Once again his turn was over with him having no cards in hand, yet he still seemed to hold the advantage.

Rebecca drew a card, and suddenly a blue skinned woman appeared on the field and showered her with light. "That's my Fallen Angel Mary. I dumped her into the cemetery using Graceful Charity, and as long as she's in there I gain two hundred life points during each of my turns. Lucky for you Fire Princess is gone." (RLP: 3000)

"My partner used a fusion, so allow me to use one as well. I play Polymerization to fuse Sangan(1000/600) with Witch of the Black Forest(1100/1000) in order to form San-witch(2100/1600)!" The two monsters merged together in order to form a dark haired woman with a miniature Sangan at her feet. It's attack power was definitely an improvement over the other two, but it seemed useless in this situation. (RLP: 2100)

"Not only is your fusion too weak to defeat Freed, it also is too high of a level to get by your own Gravity Bind. Thirdly it cost you nine hundred life points to create. A hefty price considering you can't do anything else." Rebecca grimaced, realizing that he was right. She had no choice but to end her turn at that and hope Tristan or Duke could turn things around.

Tristan drew another card, and then with a groan he placed it face down in one of his monster zones. "I uhh...I can't do anything but set that monster. Sorry guys. Like I said before, I just built this deck to use it, not for winning." He cast pleading eyes upon Duke, hoping that the dark haired duelist could save the day for him.

"I've just drawn what I need to do you in! But first I'll flip one of my set cards, Summon Dice! All it costs is one thousand points, and the effects are great. Now go, Dice Roll!" A die shot out of his card and bounced around for several seconds. Finally it came to rest on a six, allowing Duke to activate a very special effect. (DLP: 3000)

"According to that effect I get to normal summon a high level monster from my hand at no cost. So I summon Orgorth the Relentless(2500/2000) to the field! And in order to give him a chance to attack I'll flip Mystical Space Typhoon to blow away Gravity Bind!" A bolt of lightning skewered Rebecca's trap, freeing all the monsters on the field from its heavy burden.

"Since Orgoth isn't quite strong enough to take on Freed the Matchless General I'll flip my Draining Dice! Whatever number is rolled will reduce your monster's attack points by one hundreds times that amount. Dice Roll!" Once again a die shot out and started rolling about the field, waiting for an outcome to be released. Duke needed a four in order to take down Freed.

"Pathetic. Freed is the Matchless General for a reason. He predicts things ahead of time so you can't catch him off guard with your pathetic traps! Any card targeting him is automatically negated and destroyed. Freed, cut that die down!" The general raised his blade and sheared through the bouncing die in one stroke, leaving the effect to fizzle.

"That's fine, I've got another move face down that can serve me. I flip Boost Dice, and whatever it rolls I'll get two hundred points added to Orgoth times that number!" The die quickly rolled out and stopped on a three, meaning that Orgoth gained six hundred points. Now it sat at thirty-one hundred, making it stronger than Freed. And Freed couldn't negate that since it wasn't aimed at it.

"Confident aren't you? Well you won't be for long! Have you forgotten the power of Skull Invitation already? Since four of your cards have gone to the cemetery it will drain twelve hundred life points away from you!" Duke nearly dropped to his knees as the combined attack of the ghosts drained him of most of his life points, putting him in dead last place. (DLP: 1800)

"You can be confident all you want but it doesn't make any difference. Orgoth, give his general a taste of death! Megaton Axe!" The bejeweled armored monster raised his massive axe above his head and swung it down towards Freed. The general raised his blade to deflect it and suddenly an explosion occurred between the blades, launching Orgoth backwards.

"You triggered Explosive Repercussions. I can use it to negate your attack and then choose one of two effects. The first is to have you discard cards from the top of your deck equal to your monsters level. That would be seven cards and therefore enough damage to defeat you. Or I can force each of you to discard your entire hand. Each of you shall now discard your hand, and my trap will go to work!" Duke was then attacked by one ghost, while Rebecca and Tristan were each attacked by two. (DLP: 1500, RLP: 1500, TLP: 1900)

Nick drew his card and then immediately slipped it onto his disk. "You duelists are way too casual about attacking me. So I'll make it more costly by playing Gravekeeper's Servant. As long as it's active you must discard a card from the top of your deck in order to attack. So not only will you lose a card for each attack, you'll also take three hundred damage." The card took shape on his field, its effect giving them more to worry about.

"Since Orgoth's attack boost only lasted till the end of your turn I'll strike it down with Freed and then destroy Tristan's set monster with Cliff." The two monsters attacked, Free slashing the armored warrior in half and Cliff punching apart Tristan's set monster. The set creature was revealed briefly to be a Cyber Commander. Not that it mattered, as each one took a bolt of damage from the power of Skull Invitation. (DLP: 900, TLP: 1600)

Rebecca's next card gave her all she needed. Of course she also gained two hundred points from the effect of Fallen Angel Mary. "I play Silent Doom on Fire Princess(1300/1500) meaning next turn you'll take five hundred damage from my Princess's effect. That's all for now." She braced herself as the ghosts attacked, further draining her of life points. (RLP: 1400)

Tristan's draw gave him everything he needed, and her pumped a fist into the air to rejoice. "I'm gonna kick your ass with Monster Reborn to revive Orgoth! Then I activate my set card, Rush Recklessly to give it more power than your general. I may take six hundred damage, but it's worth it." (TLP: 1000)

"Orgoth the Relentless, attack Freed with Megaton Axe!" The monster's attack stopped half-way across the field as Nick's face down card, the one that had been on the field since the very beginning, flipped up. And when it did a dull blackish color began to pervade the field.

"I'm tired of playing this game. I'll crush you all with my ultimate strength. Reveal Heart of Hatred! And it's first effect when activated in this manner is to have the attacking monster turn on it's initial owner!" Orgoth turned, with eyes glowing red, and slammed its axe down on Duke's shoulder, sending him dropping to the ground like a brick. It was the end of his consciousness and his life points. (DLP: 0)

"Because you attacked your friend you'll pay the price! Heart of Hatred will now deal you half the damage you inflicted in your act of hatred to your friend!" Tristan screamed in pain as Orgoth swung the axe around into his middle, flipping him over. His head connected hard with the ground, and he was out like a light. And the duel for him was over. (TLP: 0)

With two of his opponents out of the way it was now Nick's turn to draw, and so he did. He stared at the small form of Rebecca, the so-called genius girl, and the hatred in his eyes was clear. Yet it seemed to focus past her. "It's over Rebecca. I play Stroke of Midnight! This magic card will instantly destroy one monster on your field and force you to discard cards from your deck equal to its level! So I'll destroy San-witch and force you to discard six cards!"

A shroud of shadow swept over the witch and her pet, covering them both completely. When it lifted neither was there, and the damage was done. Rebecca gulped as she slipped her first six cards into her cemetery. Finally she turned her head away, unable to watch the ghosts come soaring towards her. She felt the pain and then she felt nothing at all. (RLP: 0)

Nick, the dark thief of the desert, didn't watch as the seal closed around the four duelists. He knew that this was something he had to do, but it wasn't something he wanted to do. He had just one true goal. "I'll find the truth. And I will have vengeance in blood!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I do not own Nick Selket. Well, I own this specific incarnation of him, but the actual rights go to G.O.T. Nick who submitted the character. I liked the idea of his character so much that I turned him into one of the three Knights of Order. So go Nick!

Time Mage: I've never seen Ronin Warriors. Thunderbolt Cut is in fact the actual name of Gilford's attack. It's my favorite monster, I know these things.

G.O.T. Nick: I pity da foo who don't respect da Kuriboh! (Kuriboh sings: R-E-S-P-E-C-T, that is what I'd like for me...)

Voidtemplar: Well, the decks of the Knights are intended to be very powerful, after all they have to make it really hard for our heros.

The White Mage: You have good taste in characters. As for the Hearts, you'll just have to wait to find out. Six hearts remain undiscovered...

Wolfgeneral: Three cheers for Drake! Errr....yeah. Also for Kuribohs!

Original Cards

Duke: Draining Dice, Boost Dice

Nick: Explosive Repercussions, Heart of Hatred, Stroke of Midnight

Anime Original Cards

Nick: Seal of Orichalcos, Quick Attack

Duke: Summon Dice, Orgoth the Relentless

Tristan: Cyber Commander


	16. Hate For One's Self

Author's Notes: This chapter is mostly a memory type chapter, so please read on despite that. I'm sure you'll find it interesting even though there is no dueling. We in the writing business, as I'm sure you know, call it plot advancment.

_**Chapter Fifteen: Hate For One's Self**_

_"How long do you think it's been really? A few months?" Drake leaned back against the chair he was sitting in, his eyes focused on the woman in front of him. They were sitting down in an Italian restaurant in downtown, waiting for their food._

_Kirani shrugged and picked up her glass of water. She took a careful sip before she answered. "Seems to be about that. It's pretty amazing to have things so calm after all that." The two of them shared a smile over that, thinking back to bygone days._

_"I made the joke before to Serenity, but it still seems funny to me. I mean, Dalin saved the entire universe...by winning at a card game. Doesn't that seem kinda weird to you?" Kirani blinked and then tilted her head to one side in thought. Then she started laughing._

_"It is pretty funny. But really what makes me laugh is the fact that Taichi or Kevin or whatever he was did all those things. It seems to me that he was powerful in the end to easily crush any of us. In fact, he was probably strong enough at the beginning. So how come he didn't take the power he needed using force?" This brought a pause in the conversation as they thought about it._

_"Honestly, I think the answer is that he was locked in a cycle. He had been created for the purpose of manipulating human beings and getting the power needed. The Hand was what did things by force, he just did things through manipulation. No matter what he said he couldn't change that. He was as stuck in a cycle of repeating events as Apep. It's almost sad." They sat silent for a second...and then burst out laughing._

_"Oh yeah! Sad my ass!" It took them about a minute to calm themselves and stop laughing, but they still had big smiles on their face. They locked eyes and Drake turned away slightly. Finally he sighed and looked back at her._

_"I was wondering if...umm...damn it. I'll just say it. Would you be willing to say...go on a date some time?" He gulped and closed his eyes for a moment, praying that he would get the response he was hoping for. When his eyes opened he found himself staring at a pair of bright green eyes. Green eyes that were definitely not Kirani's._

_He jerked backwards at the sight of a girl with long black hair styled in a loose ponytail. She was good looking, but she was dressed in street clothes. A black skin tight t-shirt with the word 'Bitch' on it in red, and a leather jacket hanging over her shoulders. She smiled darkly and leaned across the table, giving Drake a view down her shirt. "You know it kiddo. I'm always with you, no matter what."_

_"Yumi?"_  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake jerked awake, his body covered in sweat. He hung his head, breathing heavily from the dream. It had started out so positively, but at the end it had changed. He raised his hands at stared at his palms, his eyes boring into the nail shaped scars there. "Get a grip Drake. That was just a dream. Yumi is gone, she's in jail. No need to even think about her."

"You awake already?" Drake's body froze in place at these words. Gulping he slowly turned his eyes to look to his left, the other side of the bed he was sleeping in. A bed that existed in the apartment he had in Domino, which he hadn't been in since right before Battle City.

Right next to him, mostly out of view thanks to covers, was the highly naked form of a very familiar woman. His eyes locked with those green orbs and he felt a familiar twinge in his chest, a mix of pain and something more. "Yumi you...but...you're in jail."

"Was is the word. Don't tell me you're unhappy to see me. You certainly weren't before, and we had such good times." She sat up so she could really face him and the covers fell to her waist, leaving her bare above that. Drake gulped and turned away, so that he wouldn't be looking.

He heard her throaty laugh, which sent shivers down his spine. He felt her hand rest on his shoulder and he immediately jerked away. "What's wrong kiddo? You've never been the shy type. We've had such fun in the past, so how come you're giving me the cold shoulder." He grimaced, clenching his fists.

Leaping out of the bed he whirled on her, his face twisted into a snarl. "Get the hell out of my life! Don't you get it? I escaped you and everything related to you! I'm not part of that anymore! I'm free, finally free! I left it all behind and now I have a new life, a third chance to make things work!"

Yumi chuckled and slid out of the bed, following him. He backed away slightly, not wanting to be near her. He kept his eyes locked on hers, avoiding looking at the rest of her. "A third chance? You think dying gives you a new lease on life? You're the same Drake I've always known. The same Drake that I made. And if you think your so-called new life worked, then why don't you look at what you've caused so far?"

"What do you mean?" He shook his head, trying to clear away stray thoughts. He rubbed the bridge of his noise as pain flared up in his mind. Like something was there waiting to escape. "There's something I'm supposed to remember. What is it? I need to remember!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_ "You're going to be okay aren't you Masue? Aren't you?" A young boy with combed back reddish-brown hair stood at the side of a hospital bed. In the bed was a man with similar colored hair and brown eyes. He smiled down at the young boy, his eyes showing that though he was in pain he wanted to remain strong in this moment._

_The young boy was Daisuke Ihachi, age four. The man in the bed was Masue Ihachi, Daisuke's father. Sitting in chairs right outside the door were two women, one a girl of about nine with hair the color of Daisuke's, and the other in her thirties with black hair. They were holding hands, avoiding looking into the room._

_"Daisuke...I know I told you that it was most polite to call people by their first names but...just this one time...I want you to call me papa. Is that okay?" Daisuke nodded, tears brimming in his eyes, his small hands clenching tightly on his father's big hand. Masue smiled at his son, a smile full of cheer and life._

_"Yes...papa. You're going to be okay right? You said you were going to teach me how to play baseball tomorrow. You promised." Masue sighed and reached out with his other hand to place it on his son's head. He ruffled the boy's hair, making it messy._

_"I'm sorry Daisuke, but it looks like it's a promise I can't keep. I know I said I'd guide you through life, but sometimes things don't work out. But no matter what else happens, I want you to promise me that you'll always fight hard for your dreams." The boy looked up at his father with tear-filled eyes, his gaze questioning. Something like that was hard for a four year old to understand._

_"Just promise me Daisuke. Promise me you'll always remember that. Because we are most alive when we're chasing dreams, and I want you to be alive." The boy nodded once, gulping down a sob that was rising up. He wanted to be strong for his father. He had to be strong._

_Masue pulled his son into a tight one armed hug, and he felt tears trickle down on his hospital gown. Touching his shoulder. "I promise papa, I promise." Daisuke titled his head up to look into his father's eyes as he spoke these words, and at that moment the arm around his shoulder went limp. And he found nothing in his father's eyes when he looked into them. They were just...blank._

_He backed away, shaking his head in denial as the machines made loud noises, and people rushed into the room. They did things, they said so many things. But it was all so fast, all so unclear to him. All he knew was that in far too short a time the doctors left the room, and said something to his mother. She responded by breaking down in tears and crumpling to her knees._

_Daisuke gulped and rushed into the room, grabbing holding of his father's hand. "Papa! PAPA! Wake up papa! You promised you'd guide me in life! You promised me!" He shook his father's arm, desperately trying to wake him up. Tears flowed freely from his eyes and his body became wracked by sobs as he realized the truth. His father wasn't going to be waking up, his father was gone. Dead._

_The word had never had any meaning to Daisuke before. It was something that happened to people in stories, or in movies. Not to real people. People couldn't die, especially not his father. His father was such a lively person, such a strong person. He couldn't be dead. "It's not fair...not fair! It's not right! Papa!"_

_Pain flashed through him as his knees dropped onto the linoleum. He wrapped his arms around himself as he sobbed, trying desperately to understand how his father was gone. "Come back...it's not right, it's not fair, papa come back. You promised, you promised you'd always be there for me!"_

_A pair of arms reached around and pulled him into a warm embrace. The familiar voice of his big sister spoke to him, right into his ear as she held him tight. "I can't promise that it's all going to be okay. But I do promise one thing. No matter what I'll always be there for you. And since papa's not going to be here to guide you...I can."_

_Turning in her grasp the young boy looked up into violet eyes that were almost identical to his. He wiped away some of his tears to clear his vision and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. "You'll be my guide? You promise?"_

_She smiled down at him and nodded once, her eyes lighting up at the look on her brother's face. "I promise. Remember, I'm your guiding light forever and always. A beacon."_

_"Of light?" She smiled and pulled him back into her embrace, and he went willingly. He continued to cry, and so did she. She rocked him back and forth until he drifted into sleep. And they simply sat there together on the hospital floor, with their father lying in a bed not five feet away._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She promised me that she'd always be there...but she wasn't there. And I tried, by god I tried to bring her back. I tried everything, but it wasn't enough. She's going to die...I let her down." Drake felt a hand touch his chest and his mind jerked back to the present, where Yumi stood in front of him.

"I told you so long ago that people can never keep their promises. This world is filled only with liars. We always lie, no matter what we say different. And that's the only truth in life. So we have to take everything for our self. Depending on another as a guide is just foolish, haven't you learned that?" He grimaced and brushed her away, stepping backwards as he did so.

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about. My sister...what about my sister? There's something there, something about my sister...something recent...something I have to know. What's wrong with me? What am I forgetting?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Daisuke Ihachi, age eleven, was waiting anxiously for his sister's return from a date. At age sixteen she was very popular, and often didn't have as much time for him as she used to have. He had friends, but he always enjoyed being around his sister the most._

_It was for this reason he was waiting at the corner of the bus stop where his sister's date would be dropping her off. Then he'd get on the bus with her and the two of them would go home. "Looks like it'll rain tonight. Oh well."_

_His eyes lit up as a beat up car that he recognized came around the street and stopped next to a street lamp. A boy of seventeen stepped out of the driver's side and walked around to open the door. Out stepped a sixteen year old girl with reddish brown, Daisuke's sister. "Awww man. They're gonna kiss. Gross!"_

_Sighing he leaned back against the brick wall, waiting for them to get it over with so he could wait with his sister for the bus. But instead of kissing, they seemed to just be talking. And her boyfriend seemed upset about something. As Daisuke watched his sister reached out for the boy, and he brushed her off._

_In that moment her balance was off set. Her feet slipped and she went tumbling backwards. To Daisuke's horror he heard a distinct cracking sound as the back of her head hit the lamp pole, and then she went limp, sprawled out on the ground. He stood there, numb with shock as the boyfriend screamed something, shook his head and then ran off, leaving his car where it was._

_Daisuke rushed forwards as fast as his feet could carry him and dropped down beside her. He shook her lightly, trying to get her to wake up. "Come on, you can't die, you can't die." He kept up this mantra as he moved her head a bit to check. It didn't look too serious, but her condition obviously was making it worse._

_Despite his horror Daisuke was able to think clearly enough to grab her cell phone from her jacket pocket and dial the emergency number. He didn't remember what he had said, nor did he remember most of what followed immediately. The ambulance came, took her and him into it, and began to immediately work on her._

_She seemed to drift in and out of sleep as they drove, medical caretakers constantly hovering around them. She whispered a few things to Daisuke, most of which didn't make much sense, and held his hand tight, giving him a reassuring smile whenever she could muster it up._

_"Don't worry Dai-kun, I'm going to be just fine. I've had worse, remember that fall I had back when I was thirteen?" Daisuke gulped and nodded, his hand still gripping hers. They were in the hospital now, and the doctors were gathered in one corner. It was nearly nine o'clock now, and the doctors had been hush-hush about something for awhile._

_"I remember. But you didn't hurt your head then, and the doctors were never so nervous and quiet back then. They told us what was going on. You're going to be okay right? You promised." He knew that he sounded childish, but at the moment he didn't care. He just desperately wanted his sister to be okay._

_"I promise you right now that no matter what I'll stay with you. So you know it's true, I'll give you collateral. Take the necklace I bought in Egypt, keep it always as a part of me. It's a promise between adults. A promise that we'll always be there for each other, no matter how bad things get." She reached up and slid the golden pendant on its chain off her neck and laid it over Daisuke's shoulders. He took it between his hands and could have sworn he saw it glow golden for a moment, specifically the little eye in the middle._

_"A promise between adults...okay. I'll make my very own promise. No matter what happens, I'll always make sure you get better, I'll always take care of you, just like you've taken care of me." He looked into her eyes, the eyes that had for so long been filled with life, and he found nothing. They were blank and faded, staring lifelessly past him, like he wasn't even there._

_"Sister? Somebody! Somebody help, something's wrong!" He was ushered off to the side as the doctors moved in around her. Being so much shorter he wasn't able to see what was going on, and after trying to push past a few times he was pulled out of the room. Back and forth he paced as he waited for someone to tell him something._

_A big hand touched his shoulder, and he turned to see who it was. It was one of the doctors, and he was looking down with a sad look on his face. "I'm sorry son, but your sister has passed into a coma. So far there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to bring her out of it. There's no telling how long it will last, but we'll have to keep here her while she's in the coma. Don't worry, Buddha is watching over her now."_

_Daisuke's eyes were filled with fear, anger, and hate. "I hate Buddha! I hate you! It's all your fault, you should have done more! She should be here, she's worse than dead now! She's just...gone. I HATE YOU!" Tears filling his eyes he turned and ran, barely hearing the shouts of doctors and nurses as they called for him to be stopped._

_Filled by the power of his feelings his feet were lighter than air and no orderly laid a hand on him. Soon he was out of the hospital, running through the streets. He barely noticed that it was raining, the water trickling down his shirt and in front of his eyes didn't affect him. "I hate...I hate everyone."_

_'There's one person above all to be hated isn't there? The one responsible for this...take revenge, she would have wanted it.' Not bothering to question the source of the thought he pushed onwards, soon finding himself in front of the car that had belonged to the one responsible. And sure enough he was there, just now turning on his car._

_The car started to drive away, and Daisuke instantly lashed out with his hatred and anger, hearing a roaring sound all around him and words whispered into his mind. All he truly saw and knew was that the car wasn't moved, and was instead surrounded by a golden glow. As was he, including a burning golden eye on his forehead. "NO! YOU WON'T GET AWAY! I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THE DAY YOU MET HER, I'LL KILL YOU FOR LAYING YOUR HANDS ON MY SISTER!"_

_Smoke poured out of the hood of the car, and the frightened teenager bolted out of the car, running as fast as he could from the crazed super powered kid. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know that if he stuck around he'd die. "I SAID YOU WON'T GET AWAY! I HATE YOU, SO DIE!"_

_The teen felt a burning sensation as something slammed into his back, hurling him into an alley. He hit face first, and then pushed himself back up, trying to get back going. But what he saw was the little kid from before, standing over him with rage filling his eyes, and a massive golden aura surrounding him. "I want you to feel her pain. I want you to die...now die!"_

_Daisuke's mind was blank as his power rushed into the boy, cutting at his flesh, pulling him up and stretching his body to gross proportions. There was the popping of bones, and finally the boy's eyes went out, and his life was gone._

_In a stupor Daisuke stumbled out of the alley and into the darker depths of the streets. His body was battered and drained from the energies that had surged through him, and his mind was fuzzy. He couldn't focus, couldn't understand what had just what happened. Unable to comprehend what he had just done, Daisuke wandered the city in the rain until he could no longer move. And when he couldn't, he collapsed._

_He wasn't aware of how long he lay there, only that time passed, and that the pain he felt wasn't diminishing. "Well well, what do we have here?" Daisuke struggled to raise his head at the sound of the voice. It was deep and had a cruel edge to it._

_The source became clear as a hand grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him up. It was a big man with a scarred face and a leering grin. "Left in the dirt huh? But by your clothes I bet you're just some dumb lost kid. Well kid, this is just your unlucky day. Anything you got that's worth money you're gonna have to hand over. Do that and I won't hurt you, otherwise..." He left the threat in the air for Daisuke to contemplate, and his grin never faded._

_With an astounding amount of spunk Daisuke pulled his head back and spit directly into the man's face. "Go to Hell." The man snarled and slammed his fist down into Daisuke's face, sending him crashing down on his back. Daisuke wasn't an expert on pain, but he was pretty sure by the pain and the blood that his nose had just been broken._

_"Little fucking brat! I was gonna be nice, but now I'm gonna have to tear you in half!" Daisuke's breath left him in one huge blast as the man's boot slammed into his stomach, and cracked his sternum. Daisuke curled up into a ball and coughed, trying to get his breath back. All that happened was blood dribbled down his chin._

_He didn't make it any farther than coughing, as the pain became too much for him he passed out. When he awoke he was in a warm room, and there were people all around him, talking. "The kid is really beat up. He looks like he's been through a lot, more than just a beating. He's got that same lost and hurt look that all of us had at one point. I say we take him in."_

_"You sure have a thing for taking little kids Yumi. Looking for a son like what you could never have?" This comment brought a pearl of laughter, all of it masculine. He also heard someone snort, and then a hand came to rest on his forehead. He groaned and brushed it away, blinking his eyes to clear them of the fog of sleep. What he saw was a pretty woman with black hair and bright green eyes, probably about his sister's age or older._

_"Looks like he's awake. This kid is sure tough as nails, for a runt that is." Daisuke looked around the room, and saw that everyone there was dressed in rough and coarse clothing, looking like it had been taken from wherever it could be gotten. The room looked like it had been in use, as a fire was burning in a corner. In fact, it looked like it was an abandoned apartment room._

_"Take me in to what? Where am I, and who are all of you?" The woman with black hair who had first spoken put a hand on his back and helped him sit back. Then she smiled at him and pointed to each of the people in the room in turn._

_"I'm Yumi, the big idiot with no hair is Nobuyuki, and to his left is Sosoro. Continuing in that order is Etsuki, Aotome, Damer, and Ferutsukai. We happen to be one of the tougher gangs roaming these streets, all of us once lost in our lives. We help give each other purpose, give each other strength. We fight, we steal, and we fight some more. It's a chance at a new life, of finding new things. And we're good at it, because Etsuki over there is the best fighter in the city." Daisuke nodded, barely noticing that it caused him pain. He brushed a hand through his wet hair and looked around at them again._

_"I'm Daisuke...did you guys save me?" They all nodded, and laughed a little. He registered their comments, comradely jokes about the brief fight they had. Apparently they had beaten the hell out of the guy who had been beating on Daisuke, and then taken him here to recover. "This can be my second chance? I...I want to have a second chance."_

_Yumi smiled at him and gestured with her arms in a broad motion to all of them. "Then welcome to the group. We don't have some stupid name, or that many rules. But one thing comes first. This is your second chance at life, and in life there are only two chances. When you start the second one you leave behind who you were previously. So if you're with us, you aren't Daisuke anymore, you'll need a new name."_

_He nodded, only partly understanding. One of the bigger fellows, the one she had called Damer, made the first suggestion. "This little guy has a lot of guts, and some real fire to him. He's like a little dragon. So why not call him Ryujin?" This brought a laugh to the group, but a considering look to Yumi's features._

_"No, dragon man doesn't work. He's such a little guy right now, but besides that I think an English word would work. We could call him what they call a fast smaller dragon. It'll be a sign of that fire he's got. So kid, how does Drake sound as a new name?"_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake shook his head to clear away those thoughts, knowing that those weren't the right memories. He couldn't understand what was wrong with him, why he was seeing these memories. These were some of the lower points of his life. "What's going on Yumi? I don't understand."

"It's called pain. Everything you hate is right in front of you, all the cause of your pain is there. And I'm here, I'm your everything, don't you remember? We were the perfect pair." She moved in closer, smirking up at him, pressing herself against him. He back away, trying to put a chair between the two of them.

"All I remember is that I was young, and you apparently had a thing for that. You're seven years older than I am! When I was fourteen you showed me things I never thought of, you did things to me that I never dreamed of. But it was just you being sick, and disgusting. I didn't understand, I didn't know better. And I got addicted to it, but I'm a different person, and I don't need you!" She laughed at this comment and moved in past the chair, getting his back up against the wall.

She traced the scars on his chest with her fingers, grinning as she did it. "Don't need me? That's a laugh. You'll always need me. Say, how did you get these scars anyways? You didn't have them last time I saw you." Once more Drake found himself falling backwards into his own mind, stuck in a loop of memories of pain. And he didn't know why.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_"Chaos Sorcerer, destroy his Skull Knight#2. Then Invader and Hades will follow up with a direct attack. Finish Taichi off once and for all!" Invader of Darkness and Dark Ruler Hades flanked the Chaos Sorcerer as it charged its chaotic energies and cast them out to destroy, the two demons waiting for their chance to strike. The attack committed everything Drake had to this single strike, because if it didn't work then he'd have two monsters open to an attack by the stronger Invader of Darkness._

_"Chain with By Demons Be Driven! I sacrifice Skull Knight#2 to negate your attack, end your battle phase, and destroy all non demon sub-type monsters on your field! So say goodbye to your strategy!" One of Taichi's two face down cards flipped up, revealing a human grimacing as it trudged forwards under the lash of a whip carried by Dark Ruler Hades._

_A giant whip erupted from the card and swept across the field, stopping the three monsters in their tracks. Skull Knight#2 grabbed up the whip and then snapped it sharply, creating a whip-crack sound as the whip broke the sound barrier. The Chaos Sorcerer grunted as it was destroyed by the lash, and moments afterwards the skeletal knight followed suit._

_The pain hit Drake hard and fast, so fast that he didn't even know it had struck until he found himself struggling back into consciousness, blood dripping from his mouth. He drew further upon the power of his disc to give himself the strength to stand, even as his body continued to weaken. What was worse was that his power reserves were almost completely drained, and using life energy would just quicken the process. He was in a jam, and there was no way out of it._

_Taichi's amused grin reappeared as he drew his two cards, Invader of Darkness now back under his control. The source of his amusement wasn't obvious to Drake until his foggy mind was able to wrap around the concept Taichi had mentioned earlier. Life point damage was the most painful of all under the ministrations of the device, and he was about to lose a monster and life points._

_"I'll set a card face down, and then I'll go in for the kill. Invader of Darkness, Blades of Blood!" Drake gasped as the cloaked monster slashed its sharp claws across its belly, drawing black blood to drip down the claws. The creature pulled back its arm and slashed with it, sending arcs of that black blood towards Dark Ruler Hades._

_A golden barrier burst up in front of Drake as the blood blades sliced Hades into gruesome little quarters that dropped to the ground with a messy sound. The blades hadn't stopped after Hades' death, and they were coming right for him._

_Drake pushed his last energy reserves into the barrier, knowing that those blades were real enough that they could cut him down if they hit. The blades struck the barrier and stopped...for about a second. Then his energy ran dry and the blades slashed through his barrier and surged right towards him._

_Drawing on his own physical strength he reacted and hurled himself to the side, desperately hoping to avoid the blades. He was mostly successful, as he avoided nearly all of them. However one of them managed to catch him in the side, slicing straight through the flesh. The force of it sent him into a spin as he tumbled through the air._

_He crashed down on his side, shoulder shifting with the impact. Drake's scream of agony as his shoulder blade broke and a few of his ribs shattered was enough to let all the other people in the tower that the duel was not going well. Drake's agonized screams only grew louder as the device tortured him with a new level of pain beyond anything that he had encountered so far. It was utterly beyond description. (DLP: 3550)_

_Taichi announced the end of his turn, and waited, watching Drake lie there. But there was no response. Drake was completely out of it, and it was doubtful that he was alive. In a few minutes he'd be sure, and then he'd be able to declare himself the winner. This had been all to easy._

_Taichi's breath left him as Drake started moving. Worse yet, surges of energy were sweeping into the room and into Drake's body. He sent his senses out and traced those bits of energy, finding where they originated. He grimaced as he found all those who knew him, whether friend or not, supporting him with their feelings, displaying their trust in him, their confidence. Their power and their emotions surged through the Millennium Disc, giving strength back to Drake._

_The punk duelist slowly pushed himself up off the ground, ignoring the pain that lanced through him as he did so. He was able to do so because of the huge amount of energy that was surging through his body, creating a golden glow that surrounded him, giving him a heavenly appearance. He was regaining his power, regaining his will to continue._

_Taichi grimaced as he saw Drake move to continue the duel. This wasn't supposed to happen, Drake couldn't just suddenly recharge himself and continue on. The end was supposed to be the end. If Drake wasn't willing to admit that, Taichi would just have to make him lose hope._

_Drake's mind flickered with faint voices, voices of those he knew. Serenity, Kensai, and others, all of them. They told him that it was hopeless, that if he continued to duel he would lose, and if he continued to duel he would die. There was no chance, he should surrender while he still had the chance. He had to face the music and admit defeat._

_Drake grinned, revealing teeth stained by his own blood. He stood tall and strong, the golden glow that surrounded his body expanding as his determination settled in, giving him the full strength provided by those that had feelings for him, that trusted him to win this. That knew he could. And with their help he knew he could win as well._

_"It may seem hopeless to some Taichi, but not to me. A real man faces the music, even if he doesn't like the tune. The question is, are you a real man, or just a walking corpse? I guess I'll find out when the final note is played. Now lets duel!"_

_Drake confidently drew a card from the top of his deck, trusting that whatever the card was it would allow him to recover and help him move towards victory. His friends, his opponents, even the person he could possibly call his rival, they were all there, adding their strength to his. With their supportive power he could accomplish anything._

_Drake opened his mouth to announce his move, and discovered that the air he had used to speak just moments before was now no longer there. He tried to draw in breath, but discovered that all he could do was gasp as air passed into his body, but didn't remain. His draw had also reopened the wound on his side which had closed briefly because of the power he had drawn from his friends._

_He tried to force the words out, to announce his move, to get the air he needed. He drew on the power given to him by the people he cared about and the people who cared about him, but still nothing. He tried again to speak, but all that came up was blood, bubbling forth from his throat, welling up from his gut._

_Eyes widening in shock the once confident duelist looked down at himself, discovering dozens of little red dots peeking through his shirt, quickly spreading to turn his gray shirt red. The wound on his side was making it work quicker. He gulped, trying to gather air, and discovered the pain in his ribs as the power started to fly from him._

_Things were becoming blurry, the power was becoming hard to hold onto, he couldn't focus. He tried again to speak, then tried to draw air. Still all that came up was blood, and the pain that followed it. Steadily the pain increased as the power left him, his body no longer able to support it. He felt the weakness and tried to hold strong, but his knees couldn't support him._

_He didn't notice falling, but he suddenly became aware that he was doubled over, clutching his stomach with his knees on the ground. A small pool of blood was forming around him, some of it dripping from his lips, other parts of it coming from the various wounds in his side. As the pool grew things became foggier and foggier._

_Taichi's insane laughter cut through his foggy brain, straight to the most aware parts, the parts that still drew upon the remaining power that had been provided to him. "Don't you understand? That fall you took shattered your ribs, and the pieces of bone ripped through your flesh and punctured your lungs. All that power you were getting from your friends? Useless! Not even a million times as much power as you had been given could undo the fact that your body is mortal. Its all over!"_

_Drake found himself face down in a steadily growing pool of his own blood, the world going dark around him. He could no longer hear Taichi's laughter, he could barely remember his own name. He had only time for one last thought before the world went dark. 'Kirani...forgive me, but I tried. At least I tried.'_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get out of my head! You're doing this Yumi, I know it! Now stop, I know it's you! You said all that I hate is in front of me, and it is! I'm looking at every ounce of my hate!" She shook her head, laughing as she pressed her body against his. She tilted her head up and captured his bottom lip with her teeth, pulling, biting.

Blood flowed, and Drake pushed her away. "You know you want it Drake. You've always wanted me, this is what you like. Rough and tough. Going for that sort of sweet and innocent act just isn't you. It's me you want, not that little slut Kirani."

Something inside Drake snapped in him at that moment and his eyes filled with rage and hate. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO!" Snarling he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her down on the ground, going down with her. Grabbing hold of her throat with his left hand he acted out on his anger.

"BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU! EVERYTHING I'VE EVER BEEN THROUGH IS YOUR FAULT! EVERYTHING I HATE IS YOU! YOU SAID IT YOURSELF, SO JUST FUCKING DIE!" Every word was punctuated by the impact of bone against bone as he slammed his right fist into her face over and over again. A red fog covered his vision, clouding her from view. All he knew was hate and rage, and he just kept lashing out over and over again.

About a minute or so later he stopped, and pulled his fist away. Slowly the red fog lifted from his vision and he got a good look at the damage. The fact in front of him was barely recognizable as a person's face at all. It was completely ruined, covered in blood. His fist was also covered in blood. "I hate you...I hate you."

"You're right...I'm everything you hate." Drake froze completely as his eyes met the eyes in that ruined face. Those eyes weren't green at all. They were a very familiar color. They were eyes that he had seen so many times. Eyes that he saw every single day in the mirror. They were his eyes. And that was his voice.

Drake stumbled backwards, grabbing his head between his hands. He threw back his head, and then he screamed. It was a scream of agony, because now he understood. The one thing he hated above all else...was himself.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: By god I had terrible luck with this chapter. It took me forever to get past my writer's block on it, but I finally did. And this is the result. Huzzah!

Time Mage: Nope, only three Knights of Order. But don't think that's all the bad guys there are.

WolfGeneral: I like cutting people down, particularly unimportant secondary characters like those four. Oh, and I had that intention with the chapter name.

G.O.T. Nick: Duh, of course it makes sense to you. He's your character originally.

VoidTemplar: Ummm...Taichi was the Second Knight of Order, and Nick was the Third. I already showed the first one. That's D'harim, Knight of Darkness.

The White Mage: Just look above you, that's who the other knight is.

Character Votes So far

Drake: Leading with three.

Dark Spirit: Second with two votes(I'm counting The White Mage's twice since he couldn't decide)

Dalin: Tied for second with his nemesis(kinda funny) with two votes.


	17. Yin and Yang

Author's Notes: Last chapter was intended to be darker, but I just wasn't up to it at the time. Now for some good old fashioned fun and stuff! Get ready, cuz this chapter we've got explanations and kick ass dueling! 

_**Chapter Sixteen: Yin and Yang**_

_"Get out of my head! You're doing this Yumi, I know it! Now stop, I know it's you! You said all that I hate is in front of me, and it is! I'm looking at every ounce of my hate!" She shook her head, laughing as she pressed her body against his. She tilted her head up and captured his bottom lip with her teeth, pulling, biting._

_Blood flowed, and Drake pushed her away. "You know you want it Drake. You've always wanted me, this is what you like. Rough and tough. Going for that sort of sweet and innocent act just isn't you. It's me you want, not that little slut Kirani."_

_Something inside Drake snapped in him at that moment and his eyes filled with rage and hate. "DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO!" Snarling he grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her down on the ground, going down with her. Grabbing hold of her throat with his left hand he acted out on his anger._

_"BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU! EVERYTHING I'VE EVER BEEN THROUGH IS YOUR FAULT! EVERYTHING I HATE IS YOU! YOU SAID IT YOURSELF, SO JUST FUCKING DIE!" Every word was punctuated by the impact of bone against bone as he slammed his right fist into her face over and over again. A red fog covered his vision, clouding her from view. All he knew was hate and rage, and he just kept lashing out over and over again._

_About a minute or so later he stopped, and pulled his fist away. Slowly the red fog lifted from his vision and he got a good look at the damage. The fact in front of him was barely recognizable as a person's face at all. It was completely ruined, covered in blood. His fist was also covered in blood. "I hate you...I hate you."_

_"You're right...I'm everything you hate." Drake froze completely as his eyes met the eyes in that ruined face. Those eyes weren't green at all. They were a very familiar color. They were eyes that he had seen so many times. Eyes that he saw every single day in the mirror. They were his eyes. And that was his voice._

_Drake stumbled backwards, grabbing his head between his hands. He threw back his head, and then he screamed. It was a scream of agony, because now he understood. The one thing he hated above all else...was himself._

Drake's screams died away as he found himself lost in flashes of the past, scenes of everything that had happened in his life, all that made him hate himself. Times he had come so close to killing someone, times he had just gone too far.

The blood, the pain, the brutality, the hatred. It was all just too much him. And so for the first time in a long time he broke down and he began to sob uncontrollably, his body shaking violently. "Buddha....I'm pathetic. I've never said anything, never praised anybody before...not since that one day. I said I hated Buddha, said I hated so many people, sometimes even those I loved...when all along I just loathed myself. I should just die."

"Damn right you should, it would save the rest of us a hell of a lot of trouble. Particularly me." The smug and arrogant voice that met his ears was distinctly his. Nobody else had it and he'd be stupid to not recognize it. And he was right, because as he looked up he found an exact duplicate of himself looking down.

"I don't know who you are, but go away. I just want to die." The other Drake snorted and placed his booted foot on his shoulder. Then he pushed, sending the first Drake sprawling to the ground. The duplicate Drake folded his arms and started walking around the first one in a circle.

"And I said I don't give a shit. I'd prefer it if you died, because you'd be out of my hair. All your fucking incessant wining! 'I promised Kirani, I must fight on!' Bah! What a fucking load of horseshit!" The original Drake clenched his fists and launched himself at the other one, only to have the second dodge and slam his elbow into the back of the original's head. He went down in a heap, groaning in pain.

"You're wrong...it's the truth. It's the right thing to do, I've always got to keep my promises, that's what dad said I should do. And that's what I will always do!" He forced himself back up to his feet, anger evident in his eyes. The other Drake merely rolled his eyes, still wandering in a circle.

Drake Two put his arms behind his head and smirked broadly. "Man, what a fucking do-gooder pansy. You piss me off so much! I can't believe we're in any way the same person." The original blinked a few times and finally managed a muttered 'what?' before lapsing into surprised silence again.

"You mean you don't know? Damn, not only are you a loser but you're a moron too. Remember when we played that Zelda game, Ocarina of Time. Well, you can think of it this way. I'm Dark Link, and you're Link...I guess. Eh, fuck it, I'm not good at explanations. Let's just say I'm the half that kicks ass and you're the half that whines like a little bitch." He smirked at this explanation, enjoying the shocked expression on his other half's face.

"Like...Ying and Yang? I'm the light and you're the dark? But how did that happen...and where are we anyways?" The two continued to circle each other, the light Drake looking curious while the dark Drake looked like he was sizing the other one up. In fact, the gleam in his eyes was quite predatory.

"What a moron. You don't remember all that shit with the Heart of Balance and releasing Eikyuu? Well apparently Eikyuu doesn't like us too much or something, no clue why. And he forced us into a place of our own power, created by the Heart of Balance itself, a place in between dimensions. So I guess the Heart of Balance split us from each other." Light Drake quirked an eyebrow, and then his eyes lit up as the memories came flooding back to him.

Now that he knew that everything he had just heard was true, he had a few more things he needed to say and ask. "So, any idea how to get out of here? And for another thing, what are we gonna call each other? It'll be stupid to call each other Light Drake and Dark Drake all the time."

"Is that all you could think of? I think the answer to that question is obvious. I'm the tough one, the one with fire and rage. So that makes me Drake. You're the little sister's boy who can't keep any promise he makes and fights like a pussy, so you're Daisuke. Get it?" He chuckled at his own joke, one that Daisuke didn't find funny at all.

"And what about the first question? Or do you not remember me asking you two?" Drake rolled his eyes at these words. He walked forward and clapped his hand down on Daisuke's shoulder, grinning as he looked into the identical violet eyes.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I remember the question. And the answer is 'fuck no.' I don't have a clue how the hell we're supposed to get out of here...but I do know one thing. When the gang kicks Eikyuu's god ass good ol' Drake will be back. And I intend to be the only one there to be that good ol' Drake." Daisuke only had a chance to experience a bit of surprise and to widen his eyes before Drake's knee struck his groin.

His eyes squeezed shut from the pain, but it certainly wasn't over yet. "I ain't sharing my body with a pansy like you! It's all me from here on out, so I'm gonna kill you and get it over with!" The next blow landed in Daisuke's stomach, blasting the wind out of him. The third landed on his cheek, knocking him to the ground. And those that followed peppered his chest and back, all fierce kicks.

"DIE YOU LITTLE BITCH! I WON'T STAND TO HAVE YOU WITH ME ALL THE TIME, BITCHING AND WHINING ABOUT WHAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS! I'M TIRED OF PLAYING HERO BECAUSE OF YOU, AND I'M GONNA MAKE SURE FROM NOW ON THINGS ARE DONE MY WAY!" He continued his rain of kicks, hearing only whimpers from the prostrated Daisuke.

Drake sneered as he stopped his assault and glared down at Daisuke. "I think the first thing I'll do is get us...or should I say 'me' back on the horse. Starting by getting that babe Kirani in the sack. Been waiting for that for a long time, but it's been you holding me back, stupid fucking bullshit about love going on in our heads. But not anymore, because it's just gonna be me."

The light half groaned and struggled to put his arms underneath him. Slowly he raised himself into a sitting position. Drake whistled in surprise, not having expected his weaker half to be able to rise at all after such a continued attack. He could have, so maybe he shouldn't be so surprised. "If you want our body for yourself....why don't you really fight for it? A fight not just of skill, but of brains. The best of the two of us wins, and the other ceases to exist forever."

The dark half's eyes widened and he coughed a few times, trying to recover from his shock. Finally he was able to speak again. "Holy Hell...did you just challenge me to a Darkness Game?" Daisuke didn't answer, but he did smile. And that brought a smirk to Drake's face.

"Why the hell not? I'll take you in a Darkness Game, winner takes all. Just like you said. And we'll do like Dalin said he had in his duel with Kevin...we'll use our very souls to create our decks." Both of the two identical men drew in a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. As they did so duel disks appeared on their arms and their clothing changed.

Daisuke looked himself over, smiling at what he saw. He was now wearing an outfit almost identical to the one he had been wearing when he met Yami for their duel. A blue shirt with silver flames with the word 'Life' in the center in Kanji. And instead of a sleeveless black trench coat he was wearing a sleeveless white trench coat. Attached to his arm was a normal white duel disk. "Let's duel!" (DLP: 8000)

Drake was similarly decked out, only his trench coat was black, and his shirt was dark red with silver flames and the kanji for 'Death' in the center. On his left arm was a Doom Slider, and he seemed quite amused by it. "As the darkness I accepted Dartz's offer, so therefore I'm still a Doom Soldier. Now let's get going!" (DRLP: 8000)

The darker half glanced at his opening hand and sighed deeply. He shook his head and slowly grabbed the cards he wanted to use. "What a damned crappy hand. I guess all I can do is set these cards face down before ending my turn." He smirked slyly as he set five of his six cards onto the field, completely filling up his magic and trap zones.

Daisuke narrowed his eyes at this move, not sure what to make of it. It was hardly their combined style to play like that, but since they were now two different people it was hard to tell how they're playing styles might differ. 'And of course we both have decks formed from our souls, so I don't know what style he'll be playing at all.'

He took a look over at his opponent, not liking the confident and arrogant look on his other self's face. He then took a chance to look at his own hand to see what he could do. _'This is a tough spot. Even if some of those are bluffs, it's not likely all of them are. And since I have no magic or trap removal in my hand I can't risk an offensive yet. I'll just have to wait him out for the moment.'_

"Are you just gonna fucking stand there the whole duel, or are you gonna actually do something?" Daisuke rolled his eyes and finally chose what cards he was going to play. Although waiting out the other was a good idea, not doing anything at all was stupid. First he took two of his cards and slid them into his duel disk, then he announced his move.

"Those two cards will go face down. Next I'm going to set a monster in defense mode. That's all." His three cards appeared in front of him, about fifteen feet away from his other self's five set cards. It might not have been an extremely productive move, but he had to start somewhere.

Drake grinned and added another card to his hand, giving him just two to work with. But unless he had drawn a monster it wasn't like he could actually play anything what with his magic and trap zone completely full. "This is a good start. I'll activate a magic card that can be played on top of others. It's called Expanding Shadows, and it doubles the number of magic or trap cards I can play in a zone. Cool huh?"

Dark coils of shadow rolled off his five cards, and they seemed to move closer to the ground. The Expanding Shadows card remained face up above the far right card. Daisuke now understood that cards set afterwards would go on top of those already there. _'Funny...how come Expanding Shadows sounds familiar? I guess it's just my imagination.'_

"Don't think that's all I'm up to though. I'm gonna set my last card down on the field right next to Expanding Shadows. Which means I've got six cards face down on the field. I bet you never expected to see something like that happen in a duel did ya?" He smirked confidently and folded his arms, obviously declaring the end of his turn. Even an amateur could see that.

Daisuke added a card to his hand without looking, and started thinking about Drake's strategy again. It seemed really weird that he'd play that way. _'What's he up to? Is he just biding his time until he has a monster, or is he setting up some kind of bigger strategy? Damn...I don't know.'_

He grimaced and finally decided on his actions. He was just going to have to keep waiting. After all, attacking in this situation would just be stupid. "I'm going to set another monster on the field in defense mode. End turn!" Another card appeared in front of him, right next to the first one. Now he had two monsters in play, and hopefully when the time came he could stampede over his opponent.

"Hoping to steam roll me once you find a way past my set cards are you? Well I won't make it that easy for you. I draw right here and now!" He snapped a card off his disk and held it up so he could see it. And then a dark look appeared on his face, one that sent a chill of fear down Daisuke's spine.

"You're just a weakling with no comprehension of strategy, so I'm going to show you true strategy by playing a card that will allow me to use any of my card zones for any purpose, and it will allow me other effects as well. So here it goes!" He pressed a button on the Doom Slider and a specific slot opened up on it. And Daisuke's eyes went wide as it did.

"I activate Seal of Darkness! This is the fully corrupted form of the Seal of Orichalcos, and though it lacks the power to increase a monster's attack, it will give me other effects. For instance, instead of just letting me use my magic and trap zones for monsters I can play cards in any zone." Daisuke grimaced as he realized what that meant. And it was going to be bad for him.

"It looks like you aren't so much of an amateur that you don't understand what I've just done. Because I can use any zone for any purpose and I've got Expanding Shadows on the field, I can now play up to twenty magic and trap cards on the field! And I've already got seven of them in play, and I guarantee that number will increase!" He laughed and spread his arms wide, inviting Daisuke to attack.

He snapped a card off his deck and glanced at it, then swiftly slipped it onto his disk. "I'm not stupid enough to attack until there isn't such a large risk. So far your strategy has revolved around increasing your zone usability, and you haven't summoned any monsters. I can't count on you not doing so, so I'll set a card face down and a monster as well. End."

Daisuke stood confident and ready for whatever the other duelist would do. He knew he'd still be waiting, just like his opposite was. But that didn't matter. Unfortunately it looked like things might get worse, because Drake was grinning again. _'I hope this isn't another good card...I don't know his strategy completely yet, so I have to stay cautious.'_

"Oh don't get so nervous, all I'm doing is playing another magic card. This one won't increase my number of zones. It's called Hell Greed." He slipped it into his disk and it appeared on the field right next to Expanding Shadows, floating above another card. Its image was of a little demon carrying a treasure chest while surrounded by flames.

"At a meager cost of one hundred life points per turn, not optional mind you, I get to draw two cards in my standby phase. Of course if you do the math and add those two to my regular draw phase, I'll be getting three new cards each turn." And with three new cards each turn he would quickly have the advantage, and Daisuke would be in big trouble.

Daisuke drew in response, knowing his opposite wouldn't be doing anything else. What he saw didn't satisfy him, so he lowered his hand and looked across the field. "I pass, there's nothing I can do this turn."

The other duelist picked up a card, and then his life points dropped by a tiny amount. After making the payment he drew two more cards from his deck, and immediately slipped them into his duel disk. And each one appeared above his first line of cards. "Would you look at that? That makes nine face down cards doesn't it? Scary huh?" He smirked, obviously confident in himself and his strategy. (DRLP: 7900)

"I'm not scared at all. But because I can't yet risk an attack, I'll pass this turn as well." Drake snorted and once again went through the motions of drawing, paying for Hell Greed, and then drawing twice more. And once more he had a decent hand of three to replenish what he had used up. (DRLP: 7800)

"Damn, looks like I was right. You don't have any talent as a duelist. Oh well, makes this Darkness Game an easy win for me. Now watch, I'll set three more cards face down and end my turn. Come and get me why don't you?" He smirked, causing Daiske to narrow his eyes.

There had been something bothering him for a little bit. So far Drake hadn't played a single monster, and it didn't look like he had drawn one yet. Maybe after top decking that was a possibility, but now with drawing three cards each turn it seemed unlikely. "Are there even any monsters in your deck at all?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you. Now get to the dueling and quit your fucking yapping. It's getting on my nerves." Daisuke rolled his eyes, not amused by the theatrics. This other verison of himself talked way more than he did, way more than even their combined self ever had. He seemed so much different from what Daisuke would have expected, even from his dark side.

As soon as he laid eyes on his newest card he knew he had a way to undo the trouble he was in and manage to go on the offensive. Things were about to get good. He grinned and reached down, grabbing hold of one card on his duel disk. "I'll flip up White Magic Summoner(1200/500) into attack mode!"

The little magician appeared, ready to act under Daisuke's command. "Next I flip another of my three set monsters, Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!" The next monster had sky colored robes and was somewhat more powerful than his White Magic Summoner. Together they would make an attack force that could dent Drake's life points by a nice amount.

"But that's not the best part, this is! I activate the magic card Magician's Storm! It can only be played when I have a face-up magician, and it then destroys all of my opponent's magic and trap cards! So say goodbye to all your face down cards and strategies!" The two magic users crossed their wands and lowered them to aim at Drake's field, electricity crackling.

An explosion of lightning shot out from the end of that wand, sending wave after wave down upon all of the magic and trap cards on his opposite's field. "Idiot! Don't think I'm totally defenseless from such an attack! Reveal Spirit Mirror, which will reverse the direction of your magic card and blow away all three of your sets!"

A fairy carrying a big mirror materialized in front of the blast of lightning and reflected it backwards, sending it streaking across the field to blow away Daisuke's sets. _'With his cards still on the field I can't risk an attack...and that was probably my best chance to really go on the offensive.'_ He grimaced and slid two of his cards onto his disk, giving him extra cards to use.

"Since you look like you're done for good, I think it's time I begin my turn. And of course you know it's time to replenish that card I used up and add more. Of course it still costs me one hundred life points for Hell Greed, but it's well worth it for the three cards I'll be getting." He slid the three mentioned cards off his deck, giving him more to work with. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of one, and a small smile creeped onto his features. (DRLP: 7700)

"Beware little Daisuke! I'm about to unleash the true pinnacle of this deck, the source of its power! I activate the permanent magic card, Death Awaits!" As he did so a dark shadow reared up behind him, and then circled around the field before settling above Daisuke. The duelist started to turn back but suddenly felt a pressure against his neck. What he saw was a silver blade pressed lightly against his throat.

"The card I've just played is a permanent magic card. Each of your turns it will inflict one hundred points of damage to your life per face down card on my field. Currently I have eleven, but in moments that will change. But that's not the best part." Daisuke grimaced, getting the feeling that he wasn't going to like whatever his other self had to say.

"Since this is a Darkness Game the thing behind you, the Grim Reaper itself, will press its scythe into your neck with a little bit more pressure each time you lose life points. The amount of pressure depends on the damage inflicted. Of course it will generally just be enough to slowly draw blood, but when your life points hit zero he'll slit your throat. Now the duel is really getting interesting." Daisuke gulped, unable to agree any less with that statement.

"Of course that effect only activates in your turn, so standing around and doing nothing is just dumb of me. So I guess I'll set my remaining two cards on the field and end. Remember that it means you'll take thirteen hundred damage in your turn. Soon I can defeat you without ever attacking..." The two cards appeared in front of him, giving Daisuke more to worry about. Things just kept getting worse and worse for him.

Slowly the light duelist drew his card, keeping himself still as he felt the sharpened still press against his neck. A quick glance down showed him just a few lines of blood flowing down it. It was a superficial cut, but it wouldn't stay that way forever. _'Damn...that card could be the death of me pretty quickly.'_ (DLP: 6700)

He eyed his hand and the rest of the field, considering the situation he was in. And he began to come to a decision. _'His whole strategy focuses around cards like Death Awaits, it's his primary weapon and it would drain me fast. So in this case I can't remain cautious, I have to make him use up his cards, because the less he has the better off I am.'_

Confident that his decision was the right one he raised his arm and pointed to his opposite. "White Magic Summoner, launch an assault directly on Drake's life points!" The white magic user raised his wand and called forth a powerful creature made of rock. The beast began to charge across the field in order to bash down Drake.

"Your monster is too much of a coward to ever connect. Wanna know why? It's because not only Death is hovering on the field, but so is fear. Reveal set card, Fear's Release!" One of his traps flipped up and a cold chill went through Daisuke's body. White Magic Summoner began looking around in fear, and finally crouched down, hugging his knees to himself. Without his focus the rock golem vanished, meaning no attack had been connected.

"Fear's Release moves all your monsters into defense mode, and means you can only have monsters in defense mode as long as it's active. Of course that applies to me as well. But here's the best part, because you declared an attack I can activate this card....Dark Barrier, Mirror Force!" A black dome appeared over Drake, and energy formed at the center. It launched out and crashed into Daisuke's three monsters, and they vanished.

"Dark Barrier Mirror Force activates when you declare an attack and it instantly removes all defense mode monsters on your field from the game. Since all your monsters were in defense mode, that makes all of them. So get rid of them." Daisuke grimaced and picked the monsters off his disk, sliding them into his pocket. His opposite just smiled smugly.

"I may have lost my monsters, but at least I got rid of a few of your traps. And now I'll end my turn by summoning Red Magician of the Cross(1700/1200) in defense mode." The monster wore scarlet robes with a white cross in the center, and a holy aura around it. It was the best Daisuke could do for the moment since he had just lost all his monsters.

Drake snapped three cards off his deck in quick succession, barely noticing the draining of his life points. After all, it was a rather meager amount compared to what Daisuke had just lost. "You can try all you like to force me into losing my cards, but it won't matter. After all, I'll just replenish them faster than you can make me use them up. And you'll lose life points much too fast for your own sake." (DRLP: 7600)

Daisuke knew that his other self was right, but he also knew he couldn't give up. He had started this Darkness Game, and he had to finish it. He couldn't let an asshole like this guy have completed control of their body. "No matter what you say, I'm going to keep fighting, and somehow I'll win."

"Keh, whatever you say. But you'll have to prove that to me, not just say it. Oh, and remember my mentioning restoring my number of set cards? Well I will, because I set three cards face down. Let's see you win now." His three cards materialized, giving him a total of fourteen. He also had Hell Greed, Fear's Release, and Expanding Shadows face up on the field, giving him a total of seventeen cards in play.

"The most damage you can do to me will be seventeen, because you've only got three remaining zones. And once you fill those up you won't even be able to play any other cards. So be careful, or you'll lose to your own strategy." Daisuke grinned at his own comment and then started off his own turn, drawing and feeling the blade press against his neck again, draining him of even more life points than before. (DLP: 5300)

"Just you wait Drake, I'm going to unravel your strategy and win this duel! And I'll start by placing one card face down on the field. But that's all I can do for the moment, so it's back to you." Now he had Red Magician of the Cross and three cards, but that was all. Not compared to the number of cards that his opponent had. It really wasn't impressive at all.

"Such big talking and nothing to back it up. You gotta try a bit harder if you're going to defeat me. I on the other hand will easily be able to defeat you in just a few more turns. Because when I draw I'll set all three of my cards and that will mean you'll be losing seventeen hundred life points each turn." He cracked his knuckles, the confident gleam evident in his eyes.

"You're talking just as big, so how about you just shut up and duel? I told you I'd unravel your strategy and I will, just take your turn so I can do so." The two halves of the same whole glared at each other, neither moving a muscle to continue the duel. Finally Drake sighed and picked up his three cards, paying the life points necessary to do so. (DRLP: 7500)

"Like I said, I'll now set all three of my new cards down on the field. And now all of my zones are completely and totally full. This is too easy of a win, but hey...why should I complain right?" He grinned smugly and slid his three cards onto the disk, thereby completing his line up. Now he had two rows of magic and traps, each row being two cards tall. It was a scary sight indeed.

As soon as Daisuke drew his card he felt the blade press harder, draining more of his blood. His vision wobbled for a second as a twinge of weakness set in from blood loss, but he quickly shook it off. Now was not the time to get dizzy. _'Gotta stay focused, otherwise he'll eat me alive in this duel.'_ (DLP: 3600)

"Looks like you're losing it. And unless you can unravel my strategy in the next three turns, you're going to lose the duel. And hell, even attacking won't do much good since I've got so many face down cards. Not that you could though, considering Fear's Release is still on the field." Daisuke couldn't help but get a bit annoyed at his other self as he was taunted. It wasn't like he didn't know the situation, he didn't need to be reminded.

"I know what I'm doing, and now you're going to have to see for yourself the true nature of my power!" He lifted the card that he had drawn so that he could see it, and smirked as he saw the card text and image. He had never seen the card before in his life, but obviously his soul had created it. And now he had everything he needed.

"My soul felt my need and responded with a very powerful card indeed. So here it comes, I summon Magician of the Storm(1600/1400)!" He slapped down his monster, watching as the yellow robed magician appeared, clutching a staff that crackled with lightning at the top. And though its attack strength wasn't incredible, it did possess quite a bit of power. And that was what he needed.

"But his power isn't all I need, because I'm going to combo it! And I'm doing it with my set card, Amendment! I'll be changing the effect of Magician of the Storm slightly, in a way that will bring all of your strategies crashing down!" The magician raised his staff over his head, and a cloud began to form over the two of them. Bolts of lightning began to flash down, crashing amongst Drake's cards, making him look around in a panic.

"What the hell is going on? What's its effect?" Daisuke smirked and clenched his left fist, feeling victory in his grasp. This two card combo would turn the entire duel around, and there was nothing that Drake could do about it.

"Magician of the Storm has an effect that would normally destroy all of my magic and traps on the field. But by using Amendment I changed it so that it would be destroying all of your magic and traps. So say goodbye to everything you've got! Lightning Pulse Strike!" Multiple blasts of lightning streaked down from the sky and blasted down on Drake's cards, tearing them apart.

"You think that's all there is? You fool! Reveal set card, Fake Trap! When an effect is activated that would destroy magic and traps on my field it will immediately absorb all of that and be destroyed in place of those others, so you failed!" The one card took a combined bolt of lightning and was destroyed, but the rest of Drake's cards remained unharmed. The combo had failed.

"It may not have worked this turn, but Magician of the Storm activates that effect during each of my turns. So next turn it'll go off again, and I'll still get victory. For the moment since its effect failed it just remains a normal monster. But that's not a big deal, I'll just end my turn to hasten the coming of my next turn and the end of you." He folded his arms confidently, waiting for his other self to begin his turn.

"It's not my turn yet, because I have cards of my own to use! Your magician won't be around long enough to have its effect activate. Here's why, I activate Invitation of Earth Spirits, which will force your monster to attack right here and now!" Daisuke's eyes widened in horror as his monster charged across the field, staff raised up like a club. And he was running straight towards a veritable mine field of traps.

"Say goodbye to your magician forever, because I activate my trap card, Drag To Hell! This trap will now send your monster to hell by removing it from the game and that means no attack for you!" Pitch black chains launched themselves from the ground, covering Magician of the Storm from head to toe. And though it struggled, it was in vain and soon it was gone, removed from the game.

"Now I'll trigger this trap, Devil's Tempest! I can only play it when a monster is removed from the game. It instantly ends the turn and destroys one card on the opponent's field per level of the removed monster. Guess what? That means I'll destroy your two face down cards and your one monster!" A black wind whirled around the field, creating dark tornadoes that collided with Daisuke's three cards. Each one was blown away, leaving his field empty even as his turn ended.

Drake picked up three cards, and started to make a move, however he was stopped when his other self suddenly made an exclamation of surprise. "Holy hell...I just realized something." Drake quirked an eyebrow, surprised by the outburst. He was getting curious as to what his other self just realized. (DRLP: 7400)

"Its weird as hell that, even as our dark side, that you'd have a card like Drag To Hell in your soul deck. I mean, I know some of our darkness had a little bit in common with him, but not that much. He was way darker than any part of us could ever be." Drake leaned his head on one hand, a quizzical look in his eyes.

"And what the hell are you talking about?" His other self narrowed his eyes, and began to explain. And when he did so things became far more obvious. In fact, Daisuke wondered why his other self hadn't caught it.

"Drag To Hell...Taichi used it, don't you remember?" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Taichi laughed as the attack knocked Ihachi off her feet and sent her tumbling end over end for several feet. Finally she landed on her gut and slid backwards for a few more seconds before coming to a halt. He could feel her energy severely diminished by the attack, and it only got worse as his little toy activated. He grinned, soaking up the sounds of her agonized screaming. (ILP: 50)_

_He let out an unhappy sigh as Ihachi managed to force herself to her feet so she could take her turn. She was breathing heavily and blood trickled down her lip, but it wasn't enough. She grimaced in pain as she drew her next card and returned a card to her hand, giving her three cards. "Begin with Altar of Resurrection!"_

_She drew two cards off the top of her deck, bringing her up to four cards. Then she activated the magic card fro her cemetery. "I choose to activate Double Spell, and I'll discard the magic card from my hand to pay for it! Now for its effect....I choose to activate Called From the Depths! Return to me, Obelisk the Tormentor!"_

_The image of Obelisk slowly faded in, until the mighty beast was once again real and on the field. It would only last for one turn, but that was enough. "Next, the card I recovered. More draw power, Pot of Greed!" She slipped two more cards from her deck, replenishing her hand to four cards again, possibly enough to finish Taichi._

_"I'll set a card face down and summon another Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700). Now, Obelisk will destroy Invader of Chaos!" The massive god monster clenched its fist and then swung it horizontally. The invader tried to stop the fist, but being the size of its own body it was unable to, and that swing destroyed it easily. (TLP: 400)_

_Taichi doubled over, both in laughter and in pain. Whatever he found funny, she certainly didn't. She had just crushed his best monster, and now she had an open attack. Well she'd show him when to laugh. "Direct attack!" Her magician raised its staff and unleashed a beam of magical energy at Taichi._

_"Your last Skilled Dark Magician fell prey to my chains, and so shall this one. Drag To Hell!" Black chains exploded from the ground and covered the magician. It struggled against their force, but found itself unable to fight back. In moments the spellcaster was dragged beneath the ground to the hell that awaited it. "Poor creature is removed from the game. Bu-bye. So...are you done?"_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So what? It's just a trap that happens to be in my deck. It makes sense considering my deck is a Dark Trap Deck. Are you done with your stupid revelations?" Daisuke shook his head, knowing that the next thing he said was a bigger deal.

"That can be accounted for, but here's one thing that count. When the dark spirit as Kevin dueled Dalin they used rules like the ones we're using, where decks were forged by souls. And I happen to remember a specific card that Kevin's soul created that you shouldn't have at all..." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Upon Kevin's draw another Lost Soul token appeared, giving him an option of sacrifice for Thanatos. The demon duelist grinned at the sight of his new card, which allow him to open up some options for himself. He was certain Dalin would find it interesting. "Alright then, I think I'll start by sacrificing my Lost Soul to Thanatos."_

_The grip of Thanatos turned the token into dust, putting him one counter away from using his effect again. Dalin knew it wasn't extremely deadly, but any card he lost might be a critical one, so he had to find a way out of this trap. "Now I'm going to use a permanent magic card of my own. It isn't as long winded but it's equally effective. Expanding Shadows lets me use each of my magic and trap zones twice, expanding my options."_

_A stream of shadow raced across the field, granting Kevin the stated effect. Dalin didn't know how much of a danger that could be, but anything that helped Kevin wasn't good for him, that was for certain. What was worse, the effect of Circles of Hell had just pumped Thanatos above five thousand points and made Satan as strong as the Ultimate Dragon. The Devil Servant now had over two thousand points._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell is going on here Drake? How the hell does a part of our soul, even the darkness that is you, have that much in common with the dark spirit that it'd create the same card his soul created. How about an explanation for that huh?" Drake remained silent for a moment, and then a big grin spread across his face.

"You're smarter than I thought you would be. So, why don't I shake things up huh?" Suddenly Drake's entire body seemed to shimmer, and in moments there was no Drake. In place of Drake there was Yumi, smiling seductively. And that change was a very creepy one indeed.

"I like this form just as much as the other, but then again I have no real preference. Of course women have natural tools for manipulation, so that's a plus. It's been a long time since I've been a woman. So waddya say Drakey-boy? This form, or yours? Which freaks you out more, which do you like seeing less as me?" Daisuke's jaw tightened as he realized exactly what was going on.

"But...but you died! You should be dead, we all saw the explosion and then..." His eyes went wide as he realized something. Something very important. "We saw the explosion, but that was all. And we just assumed you were dead and gone." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Slowly Dalin brought the card up and slipped it into his duel disk, activating its effect. The card that materialized in front of Dalin displayed a series of Egyptian characters, which spelled out a name. Kevin blinked when he recognized what it said. "In His gods....together." Kevin shook his head in denial, unable to comprehend how it was possible. And yet it was happening. The three gods were being pulled together into a vortex of light, and something was coming out of it._

_The thing that rose from the point of light was a heavenly being. That was the best way to describe it. It was a figure of such intense light and beauty that Kevin hated it instantly. He wanted to destroy it completely, he wanted to blot it out of existence for all time. He had to, it sickened him! It all sickened him! With this creature's appearance Dalin seemed to regain a little bit of his vigor, as if its light was renewing him._

_"Creator of Light, Horakhti. To attack requires that I pay all but one of my life points, however its attack....like that of Exodia." Kevin shook his head in denial, refusing to believe that this was happening. Slowly the giant being of light turned its gaze on him, a gaze so full of purity that he wanted to vomit. Bile rose in his throat and he fought it back. Drawing on all of his power, all the powers of the dark and Hell itself, he reached out to attack._

_"Horakhti, Light of Purification. End it, please, just make it end." With these words spoken the angel duelist fell the ground face first, his blood pooling around him. Light exploded from the mere presence of Horakhti, and Kevin reacted violently with all the power within him. Millions of years of hatred and darkness all combined into one strike. Titanic waves of darkness and light crashed against each other, and the entire world was suddenly consumed._

_Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Earth back to Earth. Heaven back to Heaven. All things must return to the way they were. Yet nothing could possibly return to the way it was before there came Taichi, before there was Kevin, before there was this thing that took them both and stole the lives of so many for the purpose of ending its own suffering._

_Perhaps it was only proper that he who would use the power of the lost souls to do battle with would be the one to hear the last string of their fateful ballad. The Ballad of Lost Souls sang for Kevin Hunter, for the thing within him. The hateful creature that desired an end to its own life and all others had been granted that one special thing. Release from its burden, the burden of life._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That's right, I'm not dead. And do you wanna know why?" Daisuke slowly nodded his head, uncertain exactly what he wanted to hear. It all seemed so impossible, yet the proof was right in front of him. And it was beginning to laugh in an eerily familiar manner. Even with Yumi's voice that laugh was instantly recognizable.

"I'm not dead because I was never alive to begin with! And now here I am as part of you, and when I win this Darkness Game not only will I gain your body, but I'll gain the powers of the Heart of Light and Dark, together in one form thanks to the Millennium Disc and the spirit that resides within! I'll be unleashed with more power than ever when Eikyuu is defeated!" Yumi smirked smugly, fiddling with the cards in her hand as she looked across the field at Daisuke.

"And with that power within me, it will be easy to strip away the other Hearts of Man, and then I'll have more than enough power to unleash the destruction I wished for. When I win this duel I'll have guaranteed the absolute end of the universe!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Yep, that's right. The Dark Spirit is back and ready to rumble, so look at Universe, cause here it comes!

G.O.T. Nick: Nice work Nicky. Yes indeed, the order does have signifigance. You'll see why once we see them again.

Time Mage: Oh, Autumn and Kirani are about the only people without a bad past. Ryu was involved in gang wars as I said early in the first story, meaning unlike Drake (who was just involved in gang fights and street brawls) he has killed people and seen people killed. And now you know where Drake is.

The White Mage: Yep, he does hate himself most of all.

VoidTemplar: Yep. I like my protagonists with angst.

WolfGeneral: Watch out, cuz she's psycho!

Original Cards

Drake: Expanding Shadows, Seal of Darkness, Hell Greed, Death Awaits, Fear's Release, Drag To Hell, Devil's Tempest

Daisuke: White Magic Summoner, Guardian Magician of the Day, Magician's Storm, Red Magician of the Cross, Magician of the Storm, Amendment


	18. The Dark Spirit's Return!

Author's Notes: Drake/Daisuke now faces off against the Dark Spirit once again! Can he defeat it, or will the spirit be unleashed onto the world once again with more power than ever? Found out this chapter! Probably.... 

_**Chapter Seventeen: The Dark Spirit's Return!**_

_"That's right, I'm not dead. And do you wanna know why?" Daisuke slowly nodded his head, uncertain exactly what he wanted to hear. It all seemed so impossible, yet the proof was right in front of him. And it was beginning to laugh in an eerily familiar manner. Even with Yumi's voice that laugh was instantly recognizable._

_"I'm not dead because I was never alive to begin with! And now here I am as part of you, and when I win this Darkness Game not only will I gain your body, but I'll gain the powers of the Heart of Light and Dark, together in one form thanks to the Millennium Disc and the spirit that resides within! I'll be unleashed with more power than ever when Eikyuu is defeated!" Yumi smirked smugly, fiddling with the cards in her hand as she looked across the field at Daisuke._

_"And with that power within me, it will be easy to strip away the other Hearts of Man, and then I'll have more than enough power to unleash the destruction I wished for. When I win this duel I'll have guaranteed the absolute end of the universe!"_

_'Damn it...that means the stakes of this duel are even higher than I had previously thought. So if I lose, so does everyone!' Across from him the dark spirit, having elected on remaining in Yumi's form for the time being, was deciding on what move to make. And Daisuke had a bad feeling it wouldn't end well for him._

"Hmmm....tell me, what do you know about banshees?" Yumi smiled slyly as she asked the question, obviously having something in mind. Daisuke couldn't help but wonder what it was. And he wasn't sure whether he wanted to answer or not.

"According to most legends about the banshee they are a death omen. When you hear the voice of a banshee it means you are about to die." By the broad smirk he got in response to his explanation he got the feeling he was spot on. He also got the feeling being spot on in this case was a bad thing.

"That's right, they are a death omen. And so is my next card, Death Banshee! By activating this card I automatically create a Death Banshee(2200/1500) in play!" A dark cloud hovered before him, forging itself into a vaguely female form. When it was done the banshee was revealed, and it generated a cold aura, like that of death itself.

"Suffer fool! Death Banshee, attack him directly!" The banshee didn't move at all. All it did was open its mouth and scream. It was a noise so terrible that Daisuke nearly collapsed from the pain it brought on. His head felt like it was trying to crack in half, and he could feel the blade of the reaper pressing harder against him. (DLP: 2500)

"Luckily for you having a monster with such a high power at no cost comes at a price. Any time Death Banshee attacks directly the damage inflicted is reduced by half. Oh well, it still speeds up the process of killing you." She smirked and took hold of her next two cards, sliding them onto her Doom Slider.

"Those two cards go face down. Then it's up to you to continue the duel. Or do you not think you can? Too weak to fight on are we?" Daisuke felt a growl building in his chest, frustration making him want to leap across the field and pound her face in. Or maybe it was just the fact that he hated both Yumi and the dark spirit, and having them be one and the same was too much.

Taking in a deep breath he took hold of the top card of his deck, and then turned his eyes upon Yumi. "Too weak? We'll see right now if I'm weak, because I can guarantee in this turn I'll defeat Death Banshee and create a way around your combos! And this is how I'll do it, draw!" He snapped the card off his deck and held it up to the light along with his other two cards. (DLP: 1000)

"This is the moment! I'll combo my cards together, all three of them! And I'll begin by summoning Blue Magician of the Shield(1200/1700)!" A monster similar to one of Daisuke's previous ones appeared, only this one had a blue shield in the center of his robe. The power wasn't incredible, but an aura was started to build up around it.

"Since Blue Magician of the Shield is my only creature it automatically allows me to revive one monster from the cemetery. And I'll revive Red Magician of the Cross(1700/1200)!" The companion to his newest monster took shape, giving him a set of creatures to work with. And as Unity Magicians they were bound to have new powers unlocked by being together.

"So what? Not only are your two creatures too weak to defeat Death Banshee, but you wouldn't be able to get past my mine field of traps. In other words, your play is useless!" Daisuke held one card up in his hand and showed it to her, instantly letting her know that her words were meaningless.

"My monsters can get past your mine field with this card, Halt Play! And I'm also going to add my last card into the mix, but it's really this one that makes the difference! Until the end of your turn neither of us can set or activate any magic or trap cards!" Streamers of energy descended upon Yumi's large number of set cards, but it didn't look like she was in trouble quite yet.

"I may not be able to stop them, but I can use a card combo that doesn't stop it since Halt Play is invincible. I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my face down Bloody Hand of the Demon Prophet, and guess trap as my bottom card." Yumi slipped the bottom card of her deck away and showed it, revealing that it was indeed a trap. And because of the effect of her magic card she now got to draw five cards.

"Oh, and not just that but...your monsters can't defeat my Death Banshee. So even without my traps for the turn, you can't do anything. Heck, you're lucky you can attack at all what with Fear's Release negated until the end of my turn." She drummed her fingers together, obviously satisfied that he couldn't do anything at all.

Daisuke sighed and motioned to a card that was just now appearing on his field and flipping face up. It was a magic card and showed two magicians holding their staffs together while inside a mystical looking symbol. "Believe it or not my monsters can defeat yours. The power of Magician's Cross will let my two magicians attack together for a total of three thousand strength during this turn. Meaning Death Banshee is about to die."

He extended his arm palm outwards to Death Banshee and made the official declaration. "Cross of Magic!" His two magicians crossed their staffs and launched an attack on Death Banshee that completely consumed it, leaving no trace behind whatsoever.

"I'm impressed you managed to beat Death Banshee so easily. But of course it doesn't matter since I don't take life point damage when Death Banshee is destroyed. And since you have no more cards that means your turn is over and mine is just beginning." All it took was a few moments and Yumi had her new cards, giving her a total of eight cards in her hand. (YLP: 7300)

The dark spirit in female form looked over her eight cards, smirking all the while. But Daisuke was highly confident that it didn't matter at all. "I've got so many cards here that could be used to defeat you, it's just a pity I can't set or activate any of them during this turn."

"That's right. And without the ability to set or use your magic and traps you're nothing. Since your entire strategy revolves around having a massive defense wall of trap cards all that needs to be done is to take them away from you and you become helpless." His trench coat flared out as he spoke this words, his power flaring as well. He felt the final moments of the duel coming, he knew it.

Yumi tapped a finger against her chin, gazing off into space as if considering something. Then she started to raise her fingers one by one, mouthing numbers. Finally she smirked and let her eyes meet Daisuke's. "Useless am I? Your move was the useless one. Since I've got thirteen cards face down on the field, in your next turn Death Awaits will drain you of thirteen hundred life points."

Daisuke glanced down at his duel disk, which clearly displayed the number one thousand on it. Next he looked back up at Yumi, still looking confident. "If you say so. We'll just have to find out won't we. Now end your turn since you can't do anything."

"Yes well, I suppose in that case you are right. I can't accomplish anything this turn. So now I end, discarding two cards to reduce my hand size back to six cards. And as soon as you draw, this duel is mine." She picked two of her cards and slid them into the cemetery slot of her Doom Slider, barely even noticing what ones she got rid of. She was deadly confident that Death Awaits was about to end the duel.

The magician duelist picked up his next card and glanced at it and then sighed as his two monsters shifted into defense mode. The power of Fear's Release was now active once again, and that meant all his monsters had to be in defense mode. "This is it Daisuke! The duel is over! My reaper will finish off your last remaining life points!"

Yumi's opponent glanced up at the reaper who was standing there with his blade to Daisuke's neck, not doing anything. Yumi's eyes lit up with anger and she began to yell. "What the hell do you think you're doing? FINISH HIM OFF I SAID!"

Daisuke smirked, and began to explain. "He's not deaf, so there's no need to shout. He just can't do anything to me. See, when Red Magician of the Cross and Blue Magician of the Shield are face-up on the field together I can't take life point damage in any manner. Which means I'm safe from Death Awaits." (DLP: 1000)

"Not only that, but each turn they will regenerate some of my life points equal to one hundred times the number of cards in my cemetery. Since I have seven cards in the cemetery, that means I gain seven hundred life points." A blue healing glow surrounded Daisuke, replenishing his life points and taking him out of the red zone. (DLP: 1700)

"That's fine with me! It means I can hurt you even more! Now I insist that you attack me, and I'll make sure you do by playing an Invitation of the Earth Spirits! Now Blue Magician of the Shield is going to attack, and I'll just play whatever trap it hits!" The magician aimed his staff and fired off a volley of magic.

The beam of light struck one of Yumi's set cards, which immediately flipped face-up. She smirked as it was revealed, and it's power became active. "You hit Revenge of Hell. When this card is activated it destroys one of your monsters and allows me to inflict half of its attack points in damage to your life points at the end of the turn."

She smirked and pressed another button on her Doom Slider, and a second trap flipped up. It appeared to be a man in a uniform with determination blazing in his eyes despite severe injuries. "My next card is called Second Wind! I can now reactivate the first trap I played this turn, meaning Invitation of the Earth Spirits works once again and your Red Magician will now attack and fall into his doom!"

The remaining magician attacked just as his brethren had, a beam of red light colliding with another of Yumi's cards. And this one was shown as a very familiar card indeed. "Would you look at that? A second Drag To Hell, so say goodbye to your magician for good!"

Black chains erupted from the ground and wrapped around the magician, dragging him underneath the ground beneath them. Daisuke grimaced and slipped the monster into his pocket. "You may have gotten rid of my preventative monster combo, but I'm not out of this yet. One card face down, and that's my turn." (DLP: 1100)

The female duelist drew, and then swiftly drew twice more. Her hand was now even bigger than before, being a total of nine cards. She looked over her field and then sighed, obviously annoyed by something. "Such a pity. I only have nine cards face down on the field. We'll have to remedy that won't we?" (YLP: 7200)

She grinned and fiddled with her nine cards, looking overjoyed about something. And Daisuke knew that was bad for him. "Let's see, I've got eight more spaces available on my field and nine cards in my hand....this works out well doesn't it? So I guess I'll set eight cards face down." Multiple cards shimmered and appeared on the field, totally replenishing all that she had lost and filling up her zones.

"I realize something now. This situation might be totally compromised by say, a Jinzo. But luckily for me your soul deck runs magicians just like normal, so I'm absolutely fine. And wait, with seventeen cards face down that means I'll be inflicting seventeen hundred life points of damage to you next turn." Her smirk was highly evident, and Daisuke knew why.

"Of course if we continue to do the math that means you'll lose all your life points next turn. And considering that you don't have your monster combo anymore the duel belongs to me." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, also brushing at an imaginary tear.

"It feels so sad to have it end, but I'll just have to move on. Once you're dead and gone I can be happy in the fact that I'll have a new body to work with and lots of power. But here's a bigger secret...this place...is on the border of all dimensions." By the quizzical look on Daisuke's face the dark spirit knew that he didn't understand at all.

"Where we are is like the filament of every single dimension. What I am exists in such a sense that as long as I've been here I've been spreading my presence into other dimensions. Of course I can't take a full form in any yet, but I will once I win this duel. Or hell, when this place is pricked like a soup bubble. Wanna know why?" Yumi didn't bother to wait for a response, and instead continued to explain.

"Because I can't be destroyed in any way, it's impossible since I don't exist like a normal spirit, I'll be able to truly express my power throughout the dimensions once the bulk of me is no longer trapped in this place. And with my knowledge and power I can easily traverse dimensions, while even when this place is broken you might not be able to return to yours." Daisuke felt the grip of terror, because he knew that when the dark spirit rarely lied, especially about something like this.

"So, no matter what you do I'll continue to exist. Not only that but even should I lose I'll be able to continue my purpose in life and one day I'll succeed. As a matter of fact, this is the best thing that could possibly have happened to me, because by being spread amongst dimensions I'll be even more impossible to stop, and it won't take long before I succeed in my goal." Yumi raised her arms up to the top of the black dome that surrounded them, her eyes alight with a dark fire.

"And when I do the cycle of the universe will be halted as the Essence of Destruction unleashes its power! All will fall, the universe will be no more, and if I have my say it will never begin again! I'm going to find a way to enhance the utter power of the Essence of Destruction, and have it destroy the other Essences as well. And without the Essence of Creation, the universe will stay dead and gone!" She threw back her head and began to laugh that frightening laugh of hers.

"With all of the Essences destroyed the Essence of Destruction will follow its absolute nature and obliterate the only remaining thing in existence. Itself! And with that final act everything that was, is, and will be shall be stricken from memory! This will be the absolute end of all things!" Daisuke knew deep in his heart that the dark spirit was telling the truth, and that even if they won the day now, somehow they'd have to find a way to stop him before it all ended.

"I won't let you win, no matter what I'll keep fighting! So it's my turn, my duel, and it's going to be my victory!" He viciously drew his next card, feeling power rage through his body. This might very well be his final chance to turn this duel around, to figure out a way to stop the dark spirit from erasing existence once and for all.

_'Please let this draw be what I need to win! If I don't then everything will end, and I can't let that happen!'_ He didn't get a chance to look at the card as the pressure of the reaper's blade caught him off guard. It was about to deal seventeen hundred damage, and take it out of his blood.

"And now the final blow is struck! Say goodbye Daisuke, because your life and all of existence is now over!" Her dark laugh filled Daisuke's ears as he felt blood pounding through his heart. A wave of dizziness struck him, nearly knocking him to his feet as more of his blood slipped down the reaper's scythe.

"My magicians won't let me down! They have one last thing they can do for me, and they're going to save me by doing it! Reveal set card, Magician's Last Gift! This will remove all magic users from my cemetery and increase my life points by their total attack points!" Several spirits rose up from the ground and plunged into his body, raising his life points in this last moment. (DLP: 7000)

"Damn it! You just never die do you? Well you still lose seventeen hundred life points, and you're stuck with just one card in your hand and nothing on the field to save you!" Daisuke nodded, accepting this as a fact. It was true that he only had one chance at victory, and he was holding it. He just had to hope it was the card that would save him. (DLP: 5300)

He casually flipped the card up so he could get a good view of it, and then he smiled ever so slightly and slid the card into his disk. And as he did so he silently praised whatever gods were watching over him. _'Thank you for helping me, thank you.'_

"Ready yourself Yumi, because I trigger the magic card Magic of Revival! This allows me to special summon one magician from my cemetery or my out of play pile to the field!" He slipped his removed from play pile out of his pocket and sifted through it till he found the card he was looking for. Then he slapped it down onto the field.

"Time to get reacquainted with the power of my Magician of the Storm(1600/1400)! And his effect is going to turn this duel around once and for all!" Yumi raised an eyebrow as the yellow clad mage appeared. It was still a puny wimp, and she had seventeen face down cards capable of totally crushing it.

"How is that thing going to help? Without the power of Amendment it can't blow up my magic and trap cards. Seems to me it's a pretty useless card." Daisuke scoffed at this, and pointed at Yumi, his whole body suffused with confidence and satisfaction.

"Obviously you don't know much about my magician. And how could you? It comes from my soul. Amendment ended up getting rid of its original effect and changing it, so I'll tell you what it really does. Although it destroys all of my magic and trap cards at the start of each of my turns it also prevents the power of your magic and traps from being active during my turn." Yumi's eyes went wide as she realized the implications of this.

"But that means Fear's Release and Death Awaits don't do anything at all, and I can't play any of my traps against it!" Daisuke smirked and put his fingers on top of his deck and began sliding cards off of it. Yumi began to protest, but the other duelist raised his hand to stop her.

"It gets worse. See, Magician's Last Gift also allows me to draw one card for each removed magician. Meaning I get four cards. But the worst part for you is that since your entire field is full and you can't play any new cards, you're screwed. I've just totally locked you down!" Now the dark spirit understood what he just happened, and knew that the entire duel had just turned in Daisuke's favor.

"Setting magic or trap cards at this point would be pointless, so I'll just summon Skilled Chaos Magician(1800/1600) to add some more fire power to my field!" The golden robed magician appeared next to the magician in yellow, giving Daisuke a total of thirty-four hundred attack points to work with. And that was all that he needed.

"Now my two magicians, attack the dark spirit directly!" Yumi gritted her teeth as the two attacks collided with her, having passed harmlessly over her field of traps. And the damage was significant, meaning for the first time in the entire duel she had less life points than Daisuke did. (YLP: 3800)

"I guess it's your turn spirit. And I think the best part is that you have to pay for Hell Greed, so you'll get more useless cards and lose life points. All it'll take is a few more turns before I win the duel." Yumi grimaced and picked up her three cards, seeing that each and every one of them was totally useless to her. (YLP: 3700)

_'I can't believe it...I've screwed myself over! With a full field of cards I have no way of getting rid of his Magician of the Storm. And as long as that's in play I can't activate cards in his turn to reduce the number I have. I've just lost the duel...'_ She snarled and made a shooing motion, obviously meaning that now it was Daisuke's turn since she couldn't do anything.

Daisuke grabbed a new card, but sighed when he saw that he had no monster. That meant he couldn't finish the duel in this turn. It was a pity, because even though he currently had his opponent locked down he knew that the dark spirit had gotten itself out of binds before. It was bad to give it chances.

_'I'll just have to do as much damage as I can so that I can leave her with as little chance as possible to recover. Even if Death Awaits is reactivated somehow it won't finish me off before Hell Greed kills her off. So that's all that I need to do, deal as much damage as I can!'_ Thrusting one arm forwards Daisuke declared his attack.

"Now my two magicians, burn away most of her remaining life points!" Magician of the Storm sent a barrage of lightning to collide with Yumi, causing her entire body to jerk about under the electric power. Then a sphere of chaos energy exploded across her chest, knocking her flat on her back. (YLP: 300)

"That may not have finished you, but the duel is almost over. Until it is, all that's really over is my turn. So go ahead and take yours." He let out his breath and folded his arms, patiently awaiting whatever move that Yumi had to make. Hopefully she couldn't do anything and that would mean he had won.

"You'll see soon enough Daisuke! I cannot lose, because it is my purpose, it is my destiny! No matter what I'm going to win, even if I lose the duel!" She drew and card, and then following the effect of Hell Greed she payed one hundred more life points in order to draw two more cards. (YLP: 200)

Yumi's gaze was drawn to a card in her hand, and it stayed there. Daisuke tapped his foot while waiting, not sure what was taking her so long. _'Either she drew nothing worthwhile and is all blanked out because she just lost, or she drew something useful. But what could she possibly have drawn that could save her when she can't play any cards?'_

Some sort of quiet noise reached Daisuke's ears, and it took him several seconds to realize that the sound was laughter. And it was growing louder. In moments Yumi was laughing full force, a terrifying look upon her face. "I've just drawn what I need to end you! So here I go, activate magic card: Expanding Shadows!"

Her eyes were filled with a deep hatred and satisfaction as the permanent magic card appeared on the field, and gave her the same ability as the first one. "Imagine that. With the power of a second Expanding Shadows active I can now have forty magic or trap cards on the field at one time!"

With so many chances open for playing cards it seemed that Yumi had everything she needed to put the duel back in her favor. "I know what I'll do now....I'll play a magic card. Steal The Sleeping's Breath! This magic card will seal the effect of your Magician of the Storm, and it will only be released upon death!"

A little trickle of wind came out of the magician's mouth, flowing away and vanishing. The crackling of power from his staff disappeared, and he was left as a powerless monster. Just as normal as anyone else. "Of course freeing him in death comes with a price, because it will deal you five hundred points of damage. Makes it a perfect card for effect monsters like your magician now doesn't it?"

"I don't care how perfect it is. Just locking down my magician won't take me out of this duel. One way or another I'm going to win, I swear it." Despite his confident words he didn't feel it, because with so many cards in play and without his lock he was in big trouble. He would once again have to find a way around the mine field of traps or have his throat slit by Death Awaits.

"Yeah, whatever. I taunt you, you say you'll win, it gets to be a vicious and stupid cycle now doesn't it? That sort of comment always comes back to haunt you, and here's the proof. The Haunting Cycle is now activated!" A new card appeared face up on the field, and the wailing of ghosts could be heard as spirits sailed all around them. It was an eerie feeling, something deep and primal. The feeling of death coming closer.

"When The Haunting Cycle is activated I can shuffle all magic and trap cards in my cemetery back into my deck. Since it's a permanent card from now on whenever a magic or trap card of mine would go to the cemetery it gets shuffled into my deck. Meaning it's impossible for me to deck out!" Daisuke grumbled, realizing that the duel was going to get more difficult thanks to that. But at least he could count on winning because Yumi would run out of life points in two turns.

"Now here comes another part, see I've got eighteen available spaces and four cards in my hand. So I set three of them, and then I'll use my last card. Go Death Bomb! This magic card is one-time, but it has the same effect has Death Awaits!" A glow black sphere appeared on Daisuke's side of the field, hovering directly in front of him. And then it exploded.

Daisuke hadn't noticed passing out. All he realized was that he was just now waking up, meaning the blast had knocked him out. And he could see why, as it had gone off too fast for him to set up a barrier. His pants were gone below the knees and his trench coat was in shreds and on the ground behind him. He was left shirtless, blood staining his chest from various cuts. (DLP: 3300)

_'I'm in bad shape. And next turn it'll just get work. And now that she has that many cards face down I can't outlast her. I have to find a way to stop at least one turn of damage to myself, and then I can win. That's all I need to do.'_ Taking a deep breath he pushed himself back to his feet, once again being grabbed by the reaper and having the scythe pressed to his throat.

"Can you even last another turn against me? If it were anyone else I doubt they could, but you're tough. You took all that damage during our first Darkness Game without giving up. But in case you had forgotten what happened, no matter how powerful you are you can't stop death...unless you're me that is!" Daisuke groaned at having to once again listen to that irritating evil laugh. It got worse every time he heard it.

Snapping a card off his deck Daisuke knew that this turn he was going to have to make good on his own promises. He was going to have to find a way to win, or else in his next turn he would lose. "To start with I'll sacrifice Skilled Chaos Magician and its three counters to special summon Black Magician of Chaos!"

"Denied! I flip Broken Heart, which negates the summon and removes the monster from the game. Sorry, no such luck." He grimaced and slid his favorite monster into his pocket along with his other removed from play cards. It was a steadily growing pile, and he got the feeling it would get larger as the duel went on.

"Fine. I guess I can't do anything else this turn. So I'll end my turn." He slipped the last four cards of his hand onto his duel disk and watched them appear. They were his last ditch effort, they were his last chance. These cards were all that stood between him and defeat, and he was going to have to hope they were enough.

"Trying to play the trap game as well are we? It's rather pointless as soon you'll lose the duel anyways. So why even bother?" She smirked and picked up three cards, barely even noticing as she was drained of half of her remaining life points, giving her just a meager hand full to work with. (YLP: 100)

"Why? Because I have to. You should know that by now." She sighed and rolled her eyes, obviously well aware of his reasons.

"Yes yes, I know by now. But it gets a little lame in my opinion. Not like it matters to me though, so I'll just continue my turn shall I?" Casually she picked out a card and slid it onto her disk, thereby activating its effect. And as she did so the creature behind Daisuke left him and moved forwards.

"I play Touch of the Reaper! This will destroy one monster on your field and remove it from the game, and since I'm destroying Magician of the Storm you'll take five hundred damage from the effect of Steal The Sleeping's Breath." The reaper swung his scythe, cutting straight through Magician of the Storm, splattering his blood across the ground. (DLP: 800)

"It's not done yet, because I'm enhancing the damage with a permanent trap called Meat Grinder! Now whenever a monster of yours dies you'll take five hundred damage! So now my reaper, toss the corpse in here!" The reaper swept the remains into the massive grinder, and blood and flesh sprayed out the other end, becoming nothing but pulpy goo. (DLP: 300)

"Now, for my next act I'm going to have to get rid of the small chance that Hell Greed would kill me. You see, although Death Awaits should kill you next turn, I won't hold my breath. You have a propensity for getting out of sticky situations. So I'll play Evil Absorption, which soaks up negative energy and increases my life points by the total amount you have lost this duel. Now watch my life points rise!"

Tendrils of darkness were soaked up into Yumi's body, empowering the dark spirit with further energy and restoring her life points. This meant that she'd be able to survive in the next turn, and if Daisuke's calculations were right, she'd have a significant advantage. _'Shit...'_ (YLP: 13800)

"Looks like I've got enough life points to pay for Hell Greed for a long time now. Guess it's your turn, and maybe your last at that." Casually she added another card to her field, giving her nineteen face down cards for the coming assault by the reaper. And hopefully for her it would finish off Daisuke right here and now.

The punk duelist drew another card, and then the reaper pressed the blade to his throat. Only...nothing happened. "My soul has come through for me, because I activate Pikeru's Magic Circle, which prevents me from taking effect damage this turn!"

"Hmph, not that it matters. I have cards that can reduce your life points by card text that doesn't say damage, and therefore can still work." Daisuke shrugged and placed a card onto his field, watching as a well dressed man with ruffled hair and a crazy look appeared in front of him.

"I summon Twisted Spellweaver(1800/800) in defense mode." He didn't get a chance to say anything else, because Yumi was busy activating one of her face down cards. When she did, this duel was going to come to a close.

"Reveal Shriek of the Banshee! This will force your monster to attack from defense mode, and it will strike my trap, Rip to Pieces, which will deduct half of it's defense points from your life points while adding half of it's attack to mine. And that's all that I need!" Daisuke looked away as his monster was literally torn apart by Yumi's trap card, leaving fleshy chunks all over the field. And it drained away his life points. (DLP: 100)

"Luckily for me one of my four remaining set cards was Shrink, which reduced its power by half therefore making its defense only four hundred. So I lost two hundred and remained safe." He sighed with relief, having escaped that challenge. Now there were only several dozen other hurdles to clear before he was home free.

"Aren't you forgetting something? The power of Meat Grinder will go to work and drain you of five hundred life points. But not before I flip two of my Nightmare Life Thief traps which can reduce your life points by half and add that to mine so long as you have fewer life points than I do and have less than three thousand. So here come more points!" (DLP: 25, YLP: 14775)

"And of course as I said, Meat Grinder will finish you off. I just felt it was funnier to have so many more life points at the very end!" As the blades of the grinder began to churn, Daisuke flipped one of his last face down cards. It was going to come down to this.

"I use my set card Emergency Provisions to send one of my last two face down cards to the cemetery to gain one thousand points before losing five hundred, so I survive." The fury in Yumi's eyes as he survived that damage was highly gratifying to Daisuke. It felt good to piss off the evil bitch from hell. (DLP: 525)

"Go to hell you stupid little runt! Activate Severed Spine! This trap will deduct three hundred life points from you whenever one of your cards goes to the cemetery through an effect other than its own or through activation and sacrifice! Since you sent your face down card to the cemetery using Emergency Provisions you lose three hundred and I gain it!" Although he lost even more points, Daisuke still felt confident in himself. (DLP: 225, YLP: 15075)

"I may not be able to kill you in this turn but I can sure make it impossible for you to win! I'll play the trap version of Evil Absorption, it's called Devil Life Absorption. More life points to me!" Just like before dark energy flowed into her body, meaning that her life points soared far behind a level that Daisuke had ever seen before in a duel. (YLP: 29850)

"Think that's all? Well it's not! I can only play this next card when I've used five or more traps in a turn, and since I've played six it's perfect. Still Beating Heart! This trap will automatically double my life points!" Daisuke's breath left him as Yumi's life points shot up to staggering amounts, making the duel seem even more impossible for him. (YLP: 59700)

"And now I'll finish up by using Instant Replay! This card as I'm sure you know lets me instantly reactivate the effect of the last card I played, so I get to double my life points once more, leaving yours so far in the dust it's hilarious!" To Daisuke's mind, the worst part was that each of those cards she had just played went back into her deck, making it possible for her to do all that again. (YLP: 119400)

"I think I've proven my point. So unless you actually have something else you can do, I suggest ending your turn right now." Daisuke sighed and nodded his head. There wasn't anything that he could do this turn. So he might as well end it and let Yumi continue the duel.

"Oh...it's such a pity. I only have twelve face down cards. While I know that's more than enough to finish you off next turn, I don't like just having that few. So let's really heat things up shall we?" She picked up her three cards, her turn truly beginning. (YLP: 119300)

"Ah yes, I set two cards, and then I play Twilight Renewal. As you may know Twilight Renewal can only be played when it is the only card in my hand and it lets me draw till I hold five cards." She drew five cards in one swift motion, giving her a brand new hand to work with. It was impressive how that could be so easily accomplished.

"Next up is the magic card Payment of Debt. I know you know this card, and it lets me draw three more. I just keep upping the number of cards I have don't I?" Again she drew, and she now had seven cards in her hand. She couldn't help but smirk confidently as she played her next card.

"I've slaughtered so many of your monsters in this duel that I think it's time we did a little math. So I play Body Count, which lets me draw one card for each monster I've destroyed or removed from the game. Care to calculate the number?" Daisuke's eyes went wide as he did the math, and knew exactly what the trouble was.

"But....but that's ten monsters. Are you really going to draw ten cards?" She nodded and drew ten cards from her deck, giving her a total of sixteen cards. Daisuke had never seen anyone draw that many cards from a single effect, and he was beginning to be afraid what with that many cards to work with.

"I've had some of these earlier in the duel. Oh well, not that it matters. I'm just going to make this as painful as possible for you by setting all sixteen of them face down. And if I'm counting right that means I have thirty magic or trap cards. Hard to beat that isn't it?" He could only nod, uncertain as to what was going to happen next.

"Ah, with the seven cards I have face-up and the thirty cards I have face down my army of traps is nearly complete. There's no getting around it, so just prepare yourself for utter defeat!" Daisuke felt a shiver of fear arc through his body, until he noticed something. What he noticed was Yumi's deck.

"I see it now! Your deck is forty cards, and you have thirty-seven on the field. That means you have only three cards left in your deck, so you'll draw them all next turn. So I just need to last two more turns to deck you out." Yumi raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, obviously unmindful of the fact that she was so close to losing by default.

"You let me worry about that. I think you should be worrying about surviving your turn. Oh, and by the way, your turn is about to begin, because mine is over." She smirked and folded her arms, well aware that he had only one card on the field and just two hundred and twenty-five life points. It was hard to escape death when you had such a small chance of success.

Slowly he drew his card, and then instantly he pressed a button on his duel disk, just as the reaper's blade was pressing against his neck to make the kill. "I play Energy Stasis! It instantly negates all effects for this turn played by the opponent."

A blue barrier of light arose around him, shoving the reaper away. He smirked broadly at Yumi, knowing that he had just survived the turn. However she didn't seem very bothered, as he only had one card in his hand to work with. "You're not out of the frying pan yet, so don't get your hopes up."

"Oh but I am out of the frying pan. And here's the reason why! Activate Life Point Recount! I can only play this card if I have less life points than my opponent and one thousand or less points." He smirked as a holographic counter appeared in front of him, proudly displaying the number 225 in glowing green light.

"And what's the point of this? I already know your life point score, so showing it to me in big bold neon lighting isn't going to change anything." She chuckled at her own joke, but stopped when Daisuke joined her in laughing.

"It is pretty funny. Allow me to explain why it's funny. See, so long as I meet the requirements for Life Point Recount I can automatically use it to set my life points at four thousand. Now I've got more than enough to survive!" The glowing numbers began changing at a great pace, the numbers counting upwards until at last it came to rest on the number he had stated. (DLP: 4000)

"Since I don't have any cards on my field whatsoever you can't trigger any cards to damage me. So I'm safe. Next turn you'll draw three cards, and then it will become my turn. Even if you set those three cards you'll only be able to deal thirty-three hundred damage to me. Then I just have to end my turn to deck you out." He grinned and ran a hand through his hair, happy that he had outsmarted the dark spirit and grabbed the win.

"Since that happens to be how it's going to go down, how about I end my turn? Oh, and by the way, I also have one more move before that. I remove Magician's Last Gift that's in my cemetery from the game in order to prevent me from taking any damage until my next turn. And I'm all set for the win." It had taken a few cards and some tough work, but victory was knocking at his door.

Yumi smiled when she drew her cards. A very sickeningly sweet smile that Daisuke didn't think the dark spirit or the real Yumi was capable of. Seeing something like that put a bad taste in his mouth, and he got the feeling it wasn't a good thing. "Your plan has flaws. Let me show them to you." (YLP: 119200)

She slapped two cards down onto her Doom Slider, and they appeared as face down cards, filling up all but one spot on her field. She had just one more card that she could use. "Actually, it's not a 'them' but rather an 'it'. My permanent card, No Need For Greed! As long as this card is in play I don't have to draw a card if I want or discard! You see, my soul also comes through for me, and grants me a method for victory!"

Daisuke felt his confidence slip away along with his chance for victory. Everything he had ever hoped for was gone, and his chance to win was as well. Now there was no way to win, no way for him to save himself. "I can see that you've lost your confidence. Now my turn is over. Let's see if you can find a way to top deck yourself to victory."

He glanced at his deck and then he began to grin broadly. Despite appearances, he felt happy about one thing. "Screw it. I'm tired of trying to fall back into a role I can't fit. I left the name Daisuke far behind when I began my second life, and in this third and final chance I won't screw up, and I'll remain Drake for good! Do you hear me spirit? I am Drake Ihachi now and forever!" (DLP: 800)

Drake drew, feeling power flow through his body. He held up his newest card, then he turned his eyes to Yumi's. He met her gaze with fire in his eyes, shocking the dark spirit with his heart's confidence. "Whether or not I can win I don't know, but the duel is going to end in this turn for me or for you! So here I go!"

He activated his magic card, the one card, the one draw that could change the entire game. "I activate Absolute Determination! This magic card will now allow me to draw my entire deck in one swift motion!"

The punk duelist ejected his deck and fanned it out, looking it over to see what combinations were possible. Yumi didn't feel fear though, because she had thirty-three face down cards and so many life points that even if she sat back and let him he'd never be able to harm her. "Go ahead and do what you like. I'll even allow you to do it. It won't matter one bit to me."

"We'll see. For my starting move I play these two cards in combination, Type Shift and Chaos Fusion! Type Shift will change my Chaos Fusion magic card into a permanent card. And that's where the fun really begins." A shining vortex appeared in front of him, permanently there thanks to his card combo.

"I fuse two cards from my hand together using Chaos Fusion. These cards are Sage of Everlasting Light(500/400) and Sage of Unending Darkness(400/500). Together they form Sage of Eternity(2800/2800)!" The new monster that was created was a powerful creature in black and gold robes.

"Next I'll play the magic card Magician's Dimension Travel. This will add all magicians from out of play back to my hand." He slipped his out of play pile out of his pocket and added the magicians to his hand, giving him even more to work with. And it was going to keep getting better.

"Using Chaos Fusion I combine Black Sorcerer and White Sorcerer to create Sorcerer of Soul(3400/3400)!" Another monster appeared, giving him two, this one with shining silver robes and no wand. His hands however glowed with an intensely bright light.

"White Magic Summoner and Black Magic Summoner together to create Ultima Summoner(3000/3000)! Ghost Magician and Ghost Sorcerer into Poltergeist Mage(2700/2700)!" He now had four monsters, each with a very impressive amount of attack points. However together all they had was over eleven thousand. Not over one hundred thousand.

He grinned at their combined power, and then he flipped around two more cards. The next two cards he planned on combining. "Let's see the ultimate power of my soul shall we? Chaos Fusion! Black Magician of Chaos and White Magician of Chaos!"

Yumi shielded her eyes as the two named monsters merged together and created a towering being of pure and unadulterated light. She felt hatred for it, just as she had instantly hated Holakhti. It was just so pure it pissed her off. "Spirit, meet Supreme Sage of Balance(4000/4000)!"

"First off, Supreme Sage of Balance will require that our removed from play piles cannot be accessed, and the fusion components go out of play. Along with any monsters absorbed into her. And speaking of absorbing, it now absorbs all four of my other monsters and gains one hundred points times their level!" The four monsters turned into spheres of light and joined with the sage, increasing it's general size.

"I'd like to state that every Chaos Fusion is a level ten, so that means Supreme Sage of Balance now has eight thousand attack points. And I don't intend to stop fusing! I fuse Twisted and Refined Spellweaver for Master Spellweaver(2400/2400)!"

"Now comes the fusion of my two Guardian Magicians into Guardian Magician of the Eclipse(3200/3200)! Red Magician and Blue Magician into Golden Magician of Light(2650/2650)! Sunrise Magician and Sunset Magician into Mage of Starlight(3300/3300)!" The four named monsters then merged together as balls of light with Supreme Sage of Balance, giving it twelve thousand attack points.

"By the way. Since Supreme Sage of Balance has absorbed more than five monsters he now has the immunities of the gods. Which means all of your cards are useless." Yumi shrugged, unworried because the monster was still nowhere near strong enough to finish her off in this turn. It wouldn't do any good whatsoever.

"I'm not done. Scholarly Magician fuses with Apprentice Magician to create Master Scholar(2000/2000)! Lastly Chaos Magician Girl and Chaos Magician fuse to create Chaos Sage(2900/2900)! And those two are absorbed!" With these last absorptions Supreme Sage of Balance was given a total of fourteen thousand attack points.

"Guess what. Supreme Sage of Balance gains the effects of all monsters it absorbs. Chaos Magician Girl gains three hundred attack for every monster removed from the game. Chaos Sage gains five hundred for that same. So those effects stack to give Supreme Sage of Balance eight hundred attack points for each removed from the game." Yumi totaled up the attack points and came to the conclusion that with thirty-two monsters removed from the game, counting the Chaos Fusions themselves, it meant Supreme Sage of Balance had thirty-nine thousand six hundred attack points.

"There's one more monster that I have left. It can't fuse with anything, but it'll go as an offering to my Supreme Sage and increase its attack and defense by that monster's attack and defense. So I summon Quick-Silver Magician(1400/1200) and then offer him." This monster also was absorbed into Supreme Sage of Balance, increasing its attack by a total of twenty-four hundred.

"I'm still not done though. Because I can play Chaos Mastery, which will increase the power of every monster on my field by 300 for each monster removed from play. Of course it also increases the attack of those monster's by one thousand if they happen to be a Chaos Fusion. Meaning my Supreme Sage of Balance now has over fifty thousand attack. Half of what is needed." Yumi was highly impressed at this point, what with him nearly reaching half of the life points she had.

"How very awe inspiring. You've created a god monster with an attack of nearly half that of my life points. Pity you can't more than double it's power during this turn, now can you?" Drake shook his head. There was in fact no way for him to double its power. It was win or lose in this one instant. There was no going back, because it was all over one way or another.

"I attack with Purifying Touch!" Yumi screamed out in agony as the pure light surged down over her body, and the dark spirit struck back with a barrier of darkness that shoved the Supreme Sage of Balance backwards. But the damage was done. (YLP: 67300)

"Ah, but you didn't manage to finish him off this turn. So it looks like I win, now doesn't it?" Drake lowered his head and Yumi smirked in triumph. It had been a good attempt, but in the end it had been truly impossible to deal so much damage in a single turn. Yes, utterly impossible.

Drake's head snapped up, and he had a big grin on his face. "Sorry, this is the final turn, like I said. Now allow me to activate this two card combo! The first you'll see is Shot From The Dark to reactivate Halt Play!" Yumi raised an eyebrow, confused as to why he was playing a card to prevent him from using his face down cards when he had already attacked with his monster which couldn't have been stopped anyways.

"Gee, that was pretty stupid now wasn't it?" She rolled her eyes at his blind stupidity...until she saw the next card that he had activated along with Shot From The Dark. The appearance of a warrior charging head long down a tunnel of darkness was easily recognizable. "Impossible!"

"I thought you would have learned by now that nothing is impossible when I'm involved! My magic card, Surprise Attack From The Darkness, means that every monster summoned or special summoned during this turn has an attack during my end phase. So all of my monsters will attack you from the darkness, even the Supreme Sage of Balance. And all told...." He let it trail off, because she knew quite well that the total attack was far more than she had as life points.

She shook her head in denial as thirty-three magic users appeared beside Supreme Sage of Balance, all of them facing her down. And every last one of them was gathering energy for one final attack that would end the duel. "Even if I'm defeated now I'll still succeed, and you know it! You can't possibly win!"

"Yeah, well that's a battle for another day. For the moment there's only one thing I want from you. I WANT YOU TO GO TO HELL!" Then a rain of thirty-four different attacks sprayed over Yumi's body, vaporizing it and sending the dark spirit careening into the farthest reaches of the darkness, to remain trapped in this place between dimensions for who knew how long.

"That was an interesting way to spend the day." With that supreme understatement out of the way, Drake collapsed from exhaustion. It was time for some very well earned rest, after all, he had just delayed the end of all things. If that doesn't earn a guy some peace and quiet, what else possibly could?  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: That ended up slightly longer than I wanted because I would have just had to extend it into the next chapter (pointlessly) in order to make it shorter. And of course that would have lengthened the next chapter, and then the next, and so on. So I made it like this. Hope you all enjoyed! Oh yeah, and just think about it. Drake did over one hundred and twenty thousand damage in one turn. Cool huh?

Time Mage: Right on both counts! Err, I think. Also, I hope this answered some of your questions.

WolfGeneral: Last time the dark spirit defeated himself and that was partially on purpose. But as you can see Drake managed to best him/her this time without dying.

The White Mage: The point was for Hell Greed to be an unfair card. And your other question was just answered.

G.O.T. Nick: Eh, it's one of those anime/manga things.

Original Cards(Drake played more original cards in this chapter than any single person in any single chapter I've ever written. Just look)

Yumi(wow, that's a lot): Death Banshee, Bloody Hand of the Demon Prophet, Revenge of Hell, Second Wind, Expaning Shadows, The Haunting Cycle, Death Bomb, Broken Heart, Touch of the Reaper, Meat Grinder, Evil Absorption, Shriek of the Banshee, Rip to Pieces, Nightmare Life Thief, Severed Spine, Devil's Life Absorption, Still Beating Heart, Instant Replay, Twilight Renewal, Payment of Debt, Body Count, No Need For Greed

Daisuke: Halt Play, Blue Magician of the Shield, Red Magician of the Cross, Magician's Last Gift, Magic of Revival, Magician of the Storm, Skilled Chaos Magician, Energy Stasis, Life Point Recount, Absolute Determination, Type Shift, Chaos Fusion, White Magician of Chaos, Chaos Magician Girl, Black Sorcerer, White Sorcerer, Twisted Spellweaver, Refined Spellweaver, Sage of Everlasting Light, Sage of Unending Darkness, White Magic Summoner, Black Magic Summoner, Ghost Sorcerer, Ghost Magician, Scholarly Magician, Quick-Silver Magician, Sunrise Magician, Sunset Magician, Guardian Magician of the Day, Guardian Magician of the Night, Master Spellweaver, Sage of Eternity, Guardian Magician of the Eclipse, Sorcerer of Soul, Ultima Summoner, Poltergeist Mage, Golden Magician of Light, Mage of Starlight, Chaos Sage, Master Scholar, Chaos Mastery, Shot From The Dark, Supreme Sage of Balance

Anime Original Cards

Daisuke: Magician's Cross, Surprise Attack From The Darkness

Yumi: Steal The Sleeping's Breath(Bakura uses it on Kaiba's Lord of Dragons at the start of the Egyptian Arc)


	19. The Fallen

Author's Notes: Now, we return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Also the regularly scheduled plot line. 

_**Chapter Eighteen: The Fallen**_

Kai felt that there were a lot of situations where he was more receptive than others. Particularly recently, what with all of the losses he had felt. That was why he seemed to be the only one to have noticed something about Dalin. _'That guy has been more somber than usual since right before we left for New York.'_

After Autumn's sudden alert that someone had lost their soul in the city the group had followed the directions given by her item and Dalin's and found the soulless bodies of Mai, Rebecca, Duke, and Tristan. With that news they had packed up all of the cards they had bought, stole a van, and headed out.

Because their faces were now on most wanted posters everywhere they went the entire group had to ditch a car every time it ran out of gas, because they couldn't go to a gas station. So far they had stolen ten cards, and they were only now about to hit the New York line. It would be a while longer before they reached the city of New York.

Progress had been slow because of things like that, and set backs coming in the form of road blocks searching for them. They'd taken to the woods more than once, hiding out until they found a chance to grab a new mode of transportation away from prying eyes. This whole time Dalin had a drained look to him, something Kai seemed to have noticed and nobody else had. _'It's like he's giving up hope. But if Dalin has given up hope...what hope is there for the rest of us?'_

Steeling his resolve the bi-eyed teenager adjusted his long hair and pulled the older man aside, giving him a meaningful look. The twenty-something didn't say anything, he merely followed without debate. Dalin was the first to speak. "I was wonder when someone would notice and say something."

"So something is wrong then?" Dalin's nod was barely perceptible, but it was still there. Kai gulped, trying to keep himself focused. He didn't need thoughts of despair and impossibility flowing through his mind at this moment. He needed resolve.

"Before we left the city I made a call to Japan long distance. I called the Tokyo National Museum of History. I asked for Isis, and I discovered something disturbing." The drained look in his eyes seemed to grow as he spoke, and Kai felt a shiver run up his spine. Something bad was going to happen or had happened. He could feel it.

"When I asked for her I was informed that she had been seen fleeing from the police just days before Eikyuu came to power. Police reports state that she was gunned down while resisting arrest. That's all I know. Isis is dead." As he watched the older man Kai noticed something peculiar. It took him a moment to realize what about Dalin seemed odd in this moment. His hands were shaking.

To see the relentless force, the unstoppable power that was Dalin Imaki Sumatin shaken so much was like seeing the Great Pyramids crumble into dust. It was this moment that made him realize that despite his cold exterior and his seemingly unshakeable resolve, Dalin was human like the rest of them. "Did you...love her?"

"I don't know. After Battle City Isis departed and returned to Egypt with Rishid. When I began my travels, going from competition to competition, I found myself in Egypt. I went to her and I asked her to decide my fate. I gave her the chance to do whatever she wanted to me." Dalin obviously caught Kai's confused look, because he began to explain his meaning.

"You weren't there, so you wouldn't know. My first duel in the finals was against Yami Malik, the spirit of pure hatred that had arisen from Malik's resentment towards the Pharaoh. In the end the duel was mine, and with the power of Ammut gripping me I added my power to Ra's and obliterated Malik's body. Ammut devoured his soul in that moment, but we later learned, as you saw, that the dark spirit had switched the real Malik for the evil one."

He paused in his contemplation, his eyes growing dimmer as he spoke, losing the icy calm that they normally had. "I was responsible for the total extinction of her brother. A soul devoured by Ammut can never return, because it is gone forever. So I deserved whatever punishment she chose. And she made me help her with studies on Ancient Egypt, and on an excavation."

"We came to know each other over the months, and even though I would occasionally leave for a tournament or a competition of some sort I would always return. Isis was perhaps the one woman in the world who truly understood me, and I owed her so much that I could not repay my debt in one life time. Now she is dead, and I can never repay that debt. No matter who I truly am, she was one of the few consistent and true things in my life. But that's gone."

Seeing Dalin in a state where he was truly vulnerable made Kai feel despair creeping up on him. Yet his convictions were strong, and there was one thing he wanted to hear from the other man. "Dalin, what do you think of our chances. If you tell me we'll win, I'll believe you."

Dalin stood still and silent for several moments, his green eyes staring past Kai. Finally he lowered his eyes to meet Kai's and gave his answer in that cold and confident voice of his. "As things stand now....all of us will die." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Beholden unto us Servants of Order! Your commands are to be given, for each of you has been given a position in the Grand Amy of Order! Praise be unto Great Lord Eikyuu!" A great cheer went up amongst a huge crowd of men and women varying in age, thousands of them gathered in Time Square.

Speaking to them all with use of a microphone was a dark haired man with tattoos of the infinity symbol on his cheeks and his forehead. Standing behind him, silent at the moment, were three distinctive figures. One all in black robes, one in brown, and the third in white. "Praise be unto Great Lord Eikyuu!"

The crowd continued to echo this praise for a few minutes until the man motioned for them to quiet down. He gazed out at the masses of people, each one in dark red body armor with the infinity symbol on the left breast. "Those of you with a black stripe across each shoulder are members of the first echelon. You are the most respected and trusted members of the Grand Army of Order, under the command of Lord D'harim, First Knight of Order!"

D'harim brushed past the man, who bowed to him. The dark robed knight raised his arms above his head and intoned in his cruel dark voice his commands. "You are my swords and my shields! All that I ask of you is yours to do until the day that you die or become useless! All that you do under my command is in service of the greater good, the Order of Great Lord Eikyuu!"

He clenched his fists and a column of shadow began expanding around him, sending tendrils down to touch amongst the crowd. Where they touched the people there screamed in agony. "Know this! In your duties to Great Lord Eikyuu you must learn that there is no such thing as true suffering! So long as you follow the path set before you by myself from the word of Great Lord Eikyuu you will not feel pain. Pain is an illusion for the weak, and you are strong!"

He withdrew the tendrils of shadow, and smirked under his hood as the members of the First Echelon ululated their joy and determination to do as he commanded. "Orders will be distributed amongst you shortly."

Ignoring the men D'harim turned away and walked back to the other two knights. The original speaker moved forwards to continue his speech. "All of you with brown stripes across their shoulders are members of the Second Echelon, and under the direct command of Lord Taichi, Second Knight of Order. He now has a few words for you."

Taichi moved forwards, brushing back his hood so that all could see his face, see clearly that he was just a boy of fifteen. "Look upon me and know that age does not matter to Great Lord Eikyuu! Your race, age, size, religion, none of that matters to Great Lord Eikyuu! All that matters is your faith! Have faith in Him and all is well."

His words sent a cheer up amongst the Second Echelon, and a slight smile from D'harim. Underneath his hood Nick scowled, ready for it to be over. "As the Knight of Darkness stated, soon you shall be given your orders."

He returned to the other knights, and for the third time the speaker continued to talk. "Those of you who have white stripes across your shoulders are members of the Third Echelon, and under the word of Lord Nikolas, Third Knight of Order."

Nick snorted and brushed him aside. He didn't get theatric at all, he merely got to the point. He commanded those of the army who were considered to be third most faithful, as he was considered to be third most faithful of the three knights. But he didn't care at all. "Your orders are already awaiting you. I expect no delays in carrying them out, or you will deal with not only my wrath but that of Great Lord Eikyuu."

Motioning with one hand he made clear that now was the time for the speaker to finish up. He didn't know the man's name, nor did he care. There was only one thing at all that he cared about. _'My revenge will be payed in full, I only need wait a little longer.'_

"Grand Army of Order, hear my words! Projected all around you are images of the most wanted people in the world! These people have failed to accept Great Lord Eikyuu's Order, and therefore have fallen from grace. These Fallen few must be brought to see the light, or they must die!" He punched a fist into the air, dragging a cry of rage from the men gathered.

All around them, projected onto the sides of buildings, were giant images of a very specific group of people. Dalin, Kai, Ryu, Autumn, Kirani, and all the others were there. "Go forth Servants of Order! Bring these Fallen few into the light of Great Lord Eikyuu's Order or cast these Fallen into darkness of chaos!"  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Get going! We'll hold them off!" The girls and Mokuba gulped but started running, having the power of Autumn's Millennium Staff to protect them for the moment. Meanwhile Dalin, Kai, and Ryu had set themselves in the path of a group of about fifty men and women in dark red body armor, most of whom had black stripes on the shoulders.

With a loud roar the troops charged at the three men, each of whom readied themself. Then the fight began in earnest, as Dalin and Ryu sent bolts of power streaming through the soldiers, and Kai went among them with swift kicks and punches. They were a whirlwind of motion, but that wasn't enough.

Soon they were so cramped in that neither Dalin nor Ryu could use their magic without risk of hurting one of themselves, and were forced to strike out with their fists. Dalin's massive fists sent men sprawling from the huge force behind each swing, while Ryu's more calculated blows broke bones and knocked people out.

It didn't take long before the three were backed up amongst each other, desperately fending off the oncoming soldiers. Had there been fewer they would have been fine, but in this situation there was just such an unending number of them that they couldn't hold the line. Dalin was slowly beginning to realize that the only way to survive was to kill these men and women, but that wasn't something he wanted to do. _'There has to be another way.'_

Kai fought for his life, desperately attacking anyone who moved for him, keeping them all at bay. He now fully understood what Dalin had meant when he said that they were all going to die. The numbers set against them were just too great to be halted. _'We're going to die...and my parents will go un-avenged. That can't happen!'_

Ryu heard the sound of metal against bone and bone against bone as he swung both fists at his attackers, knocking them out. All he saw was vague shapes and the spray of blood as his fists did their work, keeping his opponent's done and out. In a brawl the damage the three of them had so far done would have ended the fight, but there were just too many enemies to win. _'I hope Autumn and the others get away. I can't stand the thought of them not making it.'_

An explosion of energy suddenly sent the three of them sprawling. Bodies aching they each turned to see what had caused that, and saw in front of them three Knights of Order, hands extended. D'harim stood slightly in front of the other two, and dark fire circled his extended fist. "So this is all you three have to offer? You're as pathetic as I thought. And now you're going to die."

The other two aimed their hands at one of the three, energy gathering at their palms. In moments they would strike out in order to eliminate their foes. Dalin, Kai, and Ryu all stayed strong, ready and waiting for the end. "There will always be those who stand against you. Even if we die, it isn't over!"

"If you say so." Then the attack came.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tea tried to get Mokuba back up onto his feet, but a bit of bone was showing from the skin of his leg. When the blow had come he had been thrown forwards, and he had tripped over his leg, breaking it. The tide of human flesh had split the two of them from the others, and now they were surrounded by a group of those soldiers. "So, these are two of The Fallen? How pathetic. I'll grant their souls to Great Lord Eikyuu for conversion with my own two hands."

A black duel disk activated on his right arm, and the woman facing them, with strawberry blonde hair and a scarlet uniform with white stripes, smirked as duel disks and decks were extended to Tea and Mokuba. "Start your turns already. Those decks are good ones, supplied just for the purpose of this. I enjoy winning in such a situation."

Seeing that Mokuba was too focused on his pain to start Tea drew a hand of six and contemplated her available move. She was no expert duelist, but she did know the rules of the game. "I summon Giant Soldier of Stone(1300/2000) in defense mode, and set two cards face down."

When Mokuba just hugged himself into a ball it became evident that he wasn't going to be able to make a move. Smirking at this revelation the woman began her own turn. "That weakling should be easiest to defeat. I'll begin with Seal of Orichalcos!"

With the seal active she was truly ready to begin her turn. "I summon Panther Warrior(2000/1000) in attack mode. Then I'll activate Flame of Battle to create two Flame Warrior Tokens(1400/1400)!" The distinctive purple humanoid panther appeared, followed by two humanoids forged of fire.

"That's not all, because I activate Shield Wall to create four Shield Tokens(1000/1000) in rear defense, all for sacrifice. Now comes Token Demise! For each token I sacrifice I can obliterate one card on the field! So I sacrifice three of my Shield Tokens to destroy your three cards!" The three tokens vanished and were replaced by balls of energy which hurled across the field and exploded against Tea's three cards, vaporizing them.

"Think I'm done? Hardly! I play Shadow of Wickedness at a cost of fifteen hundred life points! This allows me to create a Shadow Warrior Token(2500/2500) who gains two battle phases during his first turn in play!" She laughed as her life points dropped, leaving her with still a great deal left and far too much attack power for their good. (WLP: 2500)

"You see? You're nothing to me. Shadow Warrior Token, crush the boy!" Unable to defend him because her field was empty Tea could only watch as the shadow warrior smashed his blade against Mokuba twice, sending his life points spiraling towards defeat. (MLP: 0)

"Now it's the end. I sacrifice my last Shield Token to have Panther Warrior attack you directly, followed by a direct attack from my two Flame Warriors! Go forth!" Tea felt the blows fall, and heard the sound her life points dropping, but she was barely aware of the Seal of Orichalcos closing around her and Mokuba. Then their souls were no more. (TLP: 0)  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Soul Sorceress, send his Crass Clown to the cemetery! Soul Petal Blast!" A barrage of ethereal petals showered down on the hideous monster, sent by a woman in a blue gown with a holy glow around her. Behind this woman two face down cards could be easily seen. The Crass Clown however was undefended, and was destroyed instantly. (LP: 350)

"It's just about over clown boy. That's the second time my Soul Sorceress has managed to knock you for a loop. Now since your field is clear and your hand empty, I think I'm going to win." Serenity Wheeler smirked and crossed her arms confidently, trying to mimic her model best as she could. She was certain this sort of confidence was how Drake would act, so she had to be that way as well. (SLP: 2800)

Even though her opponent had been playing the Seal of Orichalcos she had been doing well, turning his own moves against him the whole time. His dueling method was clowns, but though he was able to assemble his clowns quickly he hadn't been able to get past her stronger monsters. _'I can't believe it! My first major duel on my own and I'm winning, and by such a big margin as well!'_

Her opponent wore the same uniform as the others, but with brown stripes on the shoulder. He hadn't given a name, but the preaching he had done about clowns had gotten on her nerves. His cards certainly weren't funny, and neither was he. "I'll show you, because now I activate Card of Demise to draw five cards at a cost of discarding my hand in five turns!"

Sliding a new hand off the top of his deck the clown user surveyed it and smirked broadly before slapping down the first one. "I summon Peten the Dark Clown(500/1200) in attack mode! Then I'll follow it up with Dark Clown Posse, to special summon the others from my deck!"

The dark clothed clown was followed up by two identical clowns, and each got the seal on its head and therefore a bonus of five hundred. "Even with the power boost your monsters are WAY too weak to defeat my monster. That's why you've been losing this whole time."

"That may be so, but that's about to change with this next card. Clownification! This will turn your monster into a clown and grant it to me for the duration of the turn!" The Soul Sorceress moved over to his side of the field, and her face became a pasty white color as giant red shoes appeared on her feet.

"I'd rather have my monster dead than a clown, so I activate Offerings of the Doomed to destroy it at the cost of my next draw phase!" Bandages jumped out of the card and pulled in the new clown, destroying it. Serenity was fine with the cost, because she had one other face down card and two cards already in her hand that she could use.

"So bet it! I'll take down your other face down card with Mystical Space Typhoon!" The wind picked up and slammed down on her card. But just as it broke apart a beam of red light shot out of it, spearing through the original Peten and shattering it into thousands of tiny fragments.

"By destroying Shatter Point you allowed me to destroy one card on your field, so I chose your lead Peten. Now you don't have the attack power you need to do the deed this turn, now do you?" He scowled at having triggered a bluff card and weakened himself, but then he smiled brightly again, knowing what he could do.

"My disappointment almost made me forget these two cards I hold. Clown Anti-Effect Field which stops the use of all monster effects for this turn, and then Giant Rubber Chicken, a clown equip that boosts one clown by 1000 points for the turn!" Serenity's eyes went wide as the two cards came into effect, and glanced at the cuddly Kuriboh in her hand. Now it's effect couldn't be used and he had three thousand points of attack power.

_'I'm sorry...I wasn't able to win.'_ Instead of cowering before the attack, she stood strong as the giant chicken crashed down on her head. The blow was too much, and her vision went fuzzy even as Peten's blade slashed her across the middle. There was too much damage and too much pain. Her soul was gone. (SLP: 0)  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deep within the city a small group of soldiers was busy patrolling a large building. They were armed with military issue rifles from different nations, and represented each of them wore black stripes. The place was under heavy guard for a specific reason.

The whole group was going to find out why.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_An explosion of energy suddenly sent the three of them sprawling. Bodies aching they each turned to see what had caused that, and saw in front of them three Knights of Order, hands extended. D'harim stood slightly in front of the other two, and dark fire circled his extended fist. "So this is all you three have to offer? You're as pathetic as I thought. And now you're going to die."_

_The other two aimed their hands at one of the three, energy gathering at their palms. In moments they would strike out in order to eliminate their foes. Dalin, Kai, and Ryu all stayed strong, ready and waiting for the end. "There will always be those who stand against you. Even if we die, it isn't over!"_

_"If you say so." Then the attack came._

However the attack never landed on the intended targets, as a sudden explosion rocked the street, sending their aim off, blasting into the distance. The three knights whirled around, furious at having been interrupted. Smoke curled in around them, hiding everything from view.

Letting out a roar of anger Taichi unleashed his power over wind, blowing away the smoke in an instant. But to his disgust he found that neither of the three was anywhere to be seen. "Damn..."

Despite his anger, D'harim couldn't help but smile.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin, Kai, Ryu, and Autumn all sat in the back of an alley, their eyes focused on two people in front of them. They had been saved by these two, who had successfully created distractions for them to be able to escape. Unfortunately they hadn't been able to get to Tea, Mokuba, or Serenity in time.

Dalin's face was completely blank as usual, but his eyes held a strange light in them that hadn't been there in quite some time. It was the light of hope, and perhaps a twinkling of happiness. Kai couldn't tell, because he hadn't known Dalin for long enough. _'I'd be happy too if I was in his position. Hell, I am happy...but he should say something.'_

"How?" Dalin's one word seemed to express everything he needed to say. The man across from him scowled at the rudeness of this comment, but was quickly silenced by a slim bronze hand.

Isis Ishtar smiled, leaning back against the wall of the building as she began to explain. "I was studying up on the issues we had discussed when the receptionist came to my room. He tried to kill me..." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Isis Ishtar was busy pouring over the available ancient texts both physical and digital that she could get her hands, or browser, onto. Dalin had asked to her to stay behind and do research on anything pertaining to Orichalcos or any ancient legends that might point towards why Kevin had ended up having to duel against Kai in such a manner and whatever more she could learn about this strange Order._

_She sighed as she leaned back up against her chair. Despite the big man's words, she knew that there was extra meaning behind them. Dalin might not be that expressive about certain things, but over their few months of acquaintance she had come to know him quite well. That was how she knew his real reason for having her stay was that he knew whoever these people were, they were after him and Kai, and not her. He was trying to protect her._

_"How utterly chauvinistic. At least it would be if he meant it that way. That man simply confounds me." She sighed and returned to her texts, wishing she had the Book of Fallen Stars, which she had loaned out to Kai in order for the duelist to do some research on it. He wasn't an expert in Latin, but he was good enough at it to understand what he was reading. Things were moving too fast, there just wasn't enough time to react._

_She looked up at the sudden sound of someone entering the room, but relaxed immediately at the sight of a familiar face. She had called Rishid around the same time she had called Dalin, however he had a longer way to come. Now that he was here, she felt a bit more easy. "Thank you for coming Rishid."_

_"We cannot speak yet, someone else wants to talk to you." The tall bronze skinned man stepped aside in order to allow another person to enter the room. It was the skinny man from the front desk. He had always seemed to be a nice man, but he had always been rather nervous. He still looked that way now._

_"Yes, how can I help you?" The man blinked and bowed once, then reached into his pocket and started fumbling with something, his hands shaking as he did so. She looked on with confusion as he did so, and idly wondered what he wanted to show her._

_"I respectfully request for you to die." Her eyes widened in shock as he pulled a small gun, barely the size of his hand, out of his pocket and aimed it at her. Then there was a bang. Isis cried out in shock as she saw blood shoot through the air. Rishid had jumped in the way, taking the bullet to his side._

_The bald Egyptian man grabbed the sniveling little fellow by the throat and hurled him against the wall, instantly knocking him out. He said nothing as Isis immediately rushed to his aid, wrapping a cloth around his middle to stave off the flow of blood. "We must leave immediately. I am certain that this attack will not be only attempt made on your life."_

_Understanding the necessity of preserving her life in order to assist in the defeat of whatever threat was growing Isis began to gather her most critical documents together, those pertaining to the growing threat. After taking a few other necessary items the two Egyptians departed, leaving as quickly as possible._

_Just as they were leaving the building they saw a group of police cars stopping at the front of the museum. The policemen stepped out, shouting at them to stop and stay where they were. Isis and Rishid ignored these men, taking off at a run. Weaving in and out of pedestrians the two of them fled the police, all the while praying that they found a way out of this situation._

_After several minutes of fleeing from the police they came to a stop to catch their breath at the corner of a building. Once they had their breath back they turned the corner, and found themselves face to face with the police. Shots were fired just seconds after they registered the presence of the police, and several bullets found their mark, striking Isis in the chest._

_Having not been the immediate target Rishid was given time to pull free the small handgun he had liberated from the unconscious form of the receptionist. He turned the gun on the police and opened fire, bringing them down one after another._

_With the police out of the way he took Isis' prone form and placed it in the back of one of the nearby police cards before sitting himself down in the driver's seat. From there it was only a short drive to Tokyo National Airport._  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm just lucky that Rishid and I had previously anticipated such an event. Both of us were wearing kevlar, thus saving me from death. After we reached Tokyo National Airport I used the ticket numbers of the two tickets given to Dalin and Kai, which I had memorized, in order to take a plane flight to the United States. After Eikyuu came to power Rishid and I figured out that he would come to New York and thus came here."

Everyone had been captivated by the story, surprised at how much had happened. Before anyone could make any other comment Isis raised one hand and pointed it down the alley, pointing at the large hotel across the street. "That is the Waldorf-Astoria, one of the best hotels in New York City. A few days ago a large group of men in robes escorted an armored van to the hotel, and something, I'm not sure what, was taken into it. Since that time soldiers have been patrolling it night and day."

Kai took a peek and spotted a few of the guards wandering around outside the building, looking quite intent on their task and also armed to the teeth. "So something important is in there? Eikyuu maybe?"

Dalin shook his head, a doubtful look on his face. "It is possible that Eikyuu is there, but highly unlikely. I believe it more probable that he is at the actual United Nations Building. Eikyuu is also a god, and therefore doesn't need guards. Nor do the three knights."

A sudden snort caught their attention, bringing their eyes into focus on the form of the seventeen year old Ryu Shigeru. "Yeah, but something important is in there, and I say we go in there and find out what, guards or no guards."

Rishid rose to his feet, towering over the teenager. He scowled down at the young man, his tattooed face looking particularly menacing as he did so. Ryu wasn't bothered, and merely met his eyes with equal confidence. "And how do you expect to get past all those guards?"

"With this." Ryu raised his fist, proudly displaying the Millennium Gauntlet. "With a little bit of help from the spirits of Autumn's item I've learned some tricks with this thing over the past few months. I can, with a good deal of effort, create a sort of essence of sleep. Basically it will put all those within the area who are weaker than myself into a deep sleep, only they'll be awake."

Since his explanation made little sense, Ryu decided it would be best to continue what he was saying. "The Millennium Gauntlet can give its users flashes of the past in order to grant him or her important knowledge. So I can touch something and get flashes of its past. Well using this particular power I can make everyone in that whole building live through their own past, making them clueless as to what's going on in the present. That'll let us slip in and find out what's inside."

He grinned at his own brilliance, ignoring the shocked looks on each of his companion's faces. Finally one of them spoke up. "Of all the people who could possibly have come up with a good idea, you're the last one I would have suspected. Congratulations."

Unsure of whether to take this as a compliment or an insult, Ryu merely let it slide. After all, it was time to get to work.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As a light fog began to roll in on the Waldorf-Astoria building three figures stood on the rooftop of the building right across from it. Taichi kept his ice blue eyes transfixed on the entrance to the hotel, waiting for a certain group to enter. "It's time at last. Now is the moment when we can truly strike out."

Nick folded his arms, his single eye watching even more carefully. He was not waiting for the group, but rather for an individual. "Today is the day I have vengeance in blood. Now is my time."

D'harim kept quiet, his gaze also on the building. Though he said nothing, his thoughts were steeped on what was to come. At the same moment as the group now called 'The Fallen' entered the building each of the three knights had an identical thought.

_'It's time.'_ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I know this chapter was rather short, but it was all plot and no dueling (except for the like two turns of dueling you saw). Next chapter begins some major events, including some serious dueling stuff. So get ready. Also, I'd like to say that, although I don't know if it's just me or not, I've been having trouble with Until I fix it, or the site fixes it depending on who is at fault, I'll be troubled at updating. I would have had this chapter up days ago if not for those problems.

The White Mage: Well, had the dark spirit won the universe would have ended. If that were the case there wouldn't be much story would there?

Time Mage: Honestly I have no clue, but after seeing some of your cards I understand what you mean.

VoidTemplar: Supreme Sage of Balance is...balanced. Ironic isn't it? It has a lot of disadvantages to go with those massive advantages.

G.O.T. Nick: Yes, 34 attacks on you sucks. Oh, and as you see here the knights are numbered by order of rank and stuff like that. Pretty basic. The higher the number, the more trusted in the Order you are.

WolfGeneral: Doing over 120,000 damage in one turn is generally considered a super combo.

Original Cards

Woman Duelist(yeah yeah, I didn't give her a name): Flame of Battle, Token Demise, Shadow of Wickedness

Serenity: Shatter Point, Soul Sorceress

Clown Guy: Dark Clown Posse, Clownification, Clown Anti-Effect Field, Giant Rubber Chicken


	20. Kuriboh Armada

Author's Notes: Yes, this is truly the second half of this story. On with the biggest duels of the whole thing, starting with this one!

_**Chapter Nineteen: Kuriboh Armada**_

The group entered the building, gazing carefully around. At several different points in the vast ground floor entrance they could see guards sleeping. It seemed that Ryu's technique had worked perfectly. "Nice work Ryu."

The teen grinned broadly at the compliment, but after that moment they turned serious again. Dalin, acting as leader, spoke up. "We're going to have to find whatever it is that was being protected. We'll split into groups to continue the search."

He paused for a moment, looking at each member of the group in turn. Finally he came to a decision. "Ryu and Autumn, you two will investigate the second floor. Kai and Kirani will take the third floor. Isis and Rishid the fourth floor. Once we have finished searching a level we will move up, meaning that once Ryu and Autumn have finished searching the second floor they will move to the fifth floor and so on."

"What about you?" Dalin didn't meet Isis' eyes as she asked this question, instead he gazed around at the room, searching for something. Kai got the feeling he just didn't want to answer, despite the fact that they all knew the answer.

"As the most powerful member of the group I will conduct the search of the first floor on my own. Everyone, be careful." A chorus of agreement could be heard, and they all split up in order to start searching. Without saying goodbye they all turned and left, going for the elevators. All except Dalin.

Once they were all gone Dalin felt more relaxed. He was always more relaxed when he was on his own. He had never understood why, but perhaps it was because he was alone and that was how he was meant to be. "My destiny is to be alone, both with myself and with others. Alone without a memory of my past. Without truth of who I am."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Isis and Shadi moved slowly, careful not to alert any potential enemy awaiting them. They couldn't be certain that the power of the Gauntlet had worked perfectly, and they still didn't know what they were looking for. "Rishid. We'll check each room individually."

There was no point looking for the room that appeared to be guarded by the most men. Each door along the entire floor had two slumped men or women in front of it. Obviously their enemy was being very careful with whatever they were guarding. "I understand. We must be cautious."

Room by room they advanced along the floor, checking every part of each room. Even the bathrooms didn't remain unchecked. Yet despite the number of rooms they looked through they couldn't seem to find anything. It was like every guard was a decoy. "This hotel has thirty floors. It could take all day to search the entire building."

Isis opened her mouth to respond, but stopped when she noticed something odd. She looked over Rishid's shoulder to see if what she thought was true. "Oh, that's all. The wall light went out."

Brushing it aside as a mere electrical malfunction the two of them continued onwards. However she soon noticed another oddity. A second light along the hallway had just gone out. "No..."

A third dimmed and went dead, followed by a fourth, then a fifth. In quick succession all the lights in the hallway went dead, and then all the lights on the floor blanked out as well. "Not here, not now!"

"Oh yes. Here and now. After all those years living underground you should be used to the darkness, you should have learned to embrace it. If you haven't, I hope you can learn to accept it, because you will soon be wallowing in eternal darkness unless you embrace the light of order!" Even in the darkness the spot a few feet in front of them appeared dark, like it was sucking in all residual light.

"We embrace nothing but our own desire to remain free from your tyrannical order. So if you have something you'd like to say to us, get it over with. I'd rather not be taunted before my death." The sudden light that sprang up surprised her. She didn't understand why he would give them light to see by...at least she didn't at first.

The light was not a normal light. It was a greenish color, giving the black cloaked figure in front of them an even eerier appearance. The glow of the Seal of Orichalcos was what was giving them light. "The power of Orichalcos, once intended to bring Order, was used by humanity to create chaos. But now it finds its true purpose again."

He activated his pitch black duel pod and sneered at them from underneath his cowl. "Show me the strength that you possess, despite how meager it might be. When you fall to the power of the Knight of Darkness your souls will go to Eikyuu and be converted to the Path of Order! In death your souls will find the truth!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai and Kirani were busy searching, just like the others. However, each of them had something else on their mind while searching. This made it more difficult to be effective, but it wasn't like it was hard to miss something major.

Kai's thoughts fell on the current situation, wondering what they would find and what it's importance would be. He was also thinking about his parents, the Heart cards, and how they could manage to defeat Eikyuu.

Kirani was busy thinking about Drake, and the words of the piece of his soul that was within her. Thinking of that brought her thoughts to Taichi and the undeniably destructive Heart of Power. The destructive strength of that card had created a monster with over three thousand times infinite attack power, and there was no way any of them could defeat something that strong. It would take another monster of even greater strength to win...but that was impossible.

Both of them also wondered about the mysterious Third Knight, whom none of them knew anything about. His deck strategy, his true agenda, all of it was a mystery to them. Even his name was hidden, leaving them casting about in the dark.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Go face down card! Dead Dragon Zoma, to create a Dead Dragon Zoma(1800/500) in defense mode!" A ghostly dragon appeared in front of Rishid, its special abilities providing a wall between him and his opponent. To his left Isis was standing with only one monster to defend her life points, while he had two cards face down.

Their opponent on the other hand had too many monsters for them to deal with, but Rishid's remaining traps could deal with it....hopefully. D'harim sneered and gestured to one of his monsters, a sickening looking dead knight, wielding a giant scythe that was covered in dried blood. "Fool! Death Knight Reaper(2300/1600) has the power negate the effect of any monster it destroys. So my Reaper will obliterate your dragon!"

With a swing of it's blade the reaper slashed the dragon in two, preventing Rishid from using the devastating defensive ability of his trap monster. It would have dealt a significant amount of damage to D'harim if it had gone off. "I can activate one of my other traps in chain with my monster's destruction!"

He pressed a button on his duel disk to activate it, and the card flipped up. "Onslaught From The Grave! I can remove one trap monster from my graveyard that you have destroyed in order to deal it's combined stats in damage to you! Not only that but it will prevent you from attacking for the duration of the turn!"

The spectral form of Dead Dragon Zoma arose and launched itself across the field, totally bypassing D'harim's small army of monsters. The dark robed duelist smirked beneath his hood and took a card from his hand, slamming it into his Duel Pod. "I activate the quick-play magic card, Curse of Pain! This will redirect that damage to you, so suffer!"

The dragon reversed directions and wrapped itself around Rishid, squeezing him tight, causing him to gasp and choke as his breath left him. Finally the dragon faded, leaving him bruised and slightly bloodied. "I'm not finished yet...I swear it. I will protect Isis and defeat you!" (RLP: 1700)

"Of course you will. But allow me to make you suffer a bit more first. Black Wind of Death, slice apart his final face down card!" A deadly wind arose, whipping about the field. It shattered the set card, and continued onwards, slicing across Rishid's flesh. Isis called out to him, but he didn't respond. He merely stood there, standing against the onslaught. But it hurt terribly. (RLP: 1200)

"Now Black Wind of Death is shuffled into my deck. Ah, but you remember the effect of my Death Knight Strategist(1100/600). Whenever a card moves from one position to another, be it graveyard to field, deck to field, field to deck, or graveyard to deck, it deals 500 life points in damage to you. So continue your suffering for my amusement!" The strategist hurled a tiny dagger from his hand, and snickered as it plunged into Rishid's stomach, dropping him to the ground, doubled over his wound. (RLP: 700)

Isis rushed over to her fallen companion and placed her hand on his neck. What she felt horrified her, for there was no pulse. "Rishid...I'm so sorry..." She turned a furious gaze upon D'harim, her blood beginning to boil within her veins from the raw emotion sweeping through her.

"Let me guess, you're going to make me pay? Doubtful. I have Death Knight Strategist attack him directly since he can no longer suffer." Isis could do nothing as another knife slammed into his back, dealing the final bit of damage necessary to finish him off. Rishid was gone, and now she was all alone in a duel against someone far her superior. A duelist of such deadly power that she didn't know anyone who could match him. (RLP: 0)

D'harim surveyed the field and then nodded once, obviously satisfied with himself. "I think that's all for now. I'm going to enjoy making you suffer, knowing that you were useless, unable to save him and left to deal with the horror of my power all on your own. I'm sure your screams will be delicious."

"D'harim, I don't know if I can defeat you....but I will try!" She drew her next card, and knew that it might very well be her last, even if D'harim decided to toy with her. So she had to make it count.

'_Dalin, I know you're there. I know that if anyone can defeat D'harim it is you. So please, avenge my death and that of Rishid! Make D'harim pay for all those he has cast into death!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Completely unaware of the battle that was going on just two floors above them Ryu and Autumn were in the process of searching yet another room. So far they had discovered a long string of nothing. "I'm starting to get tired of this. I mean, where could this thing possibly be?"

Autumn shrugged, having no answer to supply her often impatient boyfriend. He was a good guy overall, but he had some faults that could get annoying. Particularly a tendency to act recklessly and say exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. "It might just be a special power of his Gauntlet."

"What?" Autumn smiled and waved off his question. Her comment had been mumbled, so luckily he hadn't heard it. Of course it wouldn't have mattered if he had heard it, as he wouldn't have taken it too seriously. That was one of the good things about him, he was able to laugh at himself.

Ryu, deciding that there was nothing left in the bathroom to search, stepped out into the main part of the hotel room. He stopped in place after hearing a strange sound...like something cracking. _'What the heck is that sound?'_

A cursory look around the room turned up nothing, but on closer inspection he saw exactly what it was. The glass windows were spider webbing, and bending inwards. The walls around the windows were also starting to crack. _'Oh god no...'_

"Autumn, down!" He grabbed her the arm and pulled her down to the ground, throwing his body over hers. It took only a few more seconds of pressure before the window exploded inwards, sending a spray of glass across the room. Ryu felt a slight sting as a few of them grazed him, but it was mostly superficial damage.

The worst was just to come. If he was right, the next thing to happen would be far more dangerous than a bit of flying glass. Seconds later he learned that he was right, because the plaster and stone of the walls shattered, and huge chunks flew through the air, smashing into the far wall. That was broken down by the fragments of the wall, leaving the hallway visible, along with the area right outside the second story room.

Ryu picked himself up enough to look towards where the wall had once been. What he saw was exactly what he had expected, and exactly what he didn't want to see. Standing, in the middle of the air no less, wearing a crimson body suit and a brown cloak flaring out behind him like a cape, was Taichi. "Shit..."

"That's right, you are shit. Nothing but worthless human beings, sickening little pieces of dung ready to be cast aside so that true order can flourish." He spread his arms out to the sides, like a preacher at his pew. His cold blue eyes speared into Ryu, sending a shiver through his body. For the first time in a long time...he was afraid.

"We aren't shit, we're living, breathing people! And you can't just toss us aside for the purpose of creating some pointless so-called order!" Jumping to his feet the former gang member brandished his gauntleted fist, ready to fight. It was a fight that he knew he couldn't win, because his opponent could snuff out his life before he crossed the distance between them.

"Can't we? Who's going to stop us? You? You are the Fallen, a group of those who are incapable of recieving the light of Eikyuu. Why? I don't know or care, but I will take your souls and give you to Eikyuu nonetheless." Even as Taichi spoke, Ryu reached down and helped Autumn to her feet. He checked and soon found she was unhurt, luckily enough.

This time it was Autumn instead of Ryu who countered Taichi's claims. "That's right! We're going to stop you! You can claim you'll take our souls all you want, but that won't make it happen. We'll fight you with every breath in our bodies!"

"The breath in your bodies? How very fitting, considering I can steal all the breath from your bodies with just a thought. I am the Knight of Air after all. So with such a faulty declaration that will make crushing you so much easier." He snickered at his own cleverness, and flared his power, creating hurricane force winds within a small area around him.

"You think that you can crush us easily? Well why don't you try? All I've heard so far is trash talking, so why don't you come and prove it? If you do I'll show you a taste of real power, the power of my Millennium Gauntlet!" He raised the named item, and at the same time he drew on its power, causing a golden eye to appear on his forehead.

"That's right Taichi! Take on his power and you'll take on mine as well, the power of the Millennium Staff!" Autumn held the staff above her head, drawing on both its power and the strength of the two spirits within. If they were going to do this she'd need all the help they could get. Four on one was better than two on one.

"Your items are mere baubles compared to the power that I have been granted by Great Lord Eikyuu, and that of the Heart of Power. Even your Hearts of Man are nothing compared to mine." He smirked and waved his hand as if brushing away something, and a deadly blast of wind sent Ryu and Autumn flying backwards off their feet and into the wall of the hall.

Ryu groaned and picked himself up, helping Autumn to her feet as well. Gritting his teeth he turned back to face Taichi, furious at the younger teen's actions. "Nobody tosses me aside like I'm nothing, not you and not your god! So let's stop with the talking and get to the proving! Show me what you can do on the dueling field, you versus me!"

Taichi said nothing, he merely continued to float in mid-air, staring at Ryu with a blank look on his face. The teen growled deep in his chest and gave his Gauntlet a pushing, causing it to change. It melted like liquid metal and then expanded outwards until it had the shape of a duel disk, with his deck in the little slot at the top.

"Quit staring and let's get to the point! Or are you afraid to face me like a man?" He took out his deck and swiftly shuffled it, readying himself to duel. Finally he slammed it back into what he liked to call his Duel Gauntlet, and then he was absolutely ready. This was it, the most important duel of his life, and he was going to win it! (RLP: 4000)

After a few more seconds Taichi responded. He responded by throwing back his head and laughing hysterically. Ryu thought it was somewhat of a kindness that the laugh was not the same as Taichi's when he was controlled by the dark spirit. "You versus me? What a laughable idea! You're nothing but a gnat to me, even with your Heart card!"

Ryu growled again, furious at having been once again brushed aside as if he was nothing. Maybe he wasn't the best duelist in the world, but that didn't mean he was worthless. After all, the Heart of Courage had chosen him to be its wielder. "If you think it's laughable than how about you duel me anyways if you're so certain you can easily defeat me!"

The blue eyed teen tilted his head to the side as if considering something. Then he smiled and returned his head to a normal angle. "I've got a better idea. I think I'll kill two birds with one stone. The stone is me, and you two are the two birds. So what do you say, two on one?"

Autumn nodded and resolutely stepped forwards. She pressed the activation button allowing her duel disk to extend into active position. She'd support Ryu, and together they should be able to defeat Taichi once and for all. "I'm ready for this. But Taichi, the question is...are you?" (ALP: 4000)

"Don't make me laugh. I could crush you two weaklings in my sleep. Soon a Kuriboh Armada will unveil itself and smother you in the power of true unity, something humanity long since lost sight of! Prepare to meet the strength of my Kuriboh Deck!" His Duel Pod moved into position, meaning he was ready to get going as well. (TLP: 4000)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I won't fall so easily D'harim! I swear it, so I activate my set card, Reversed Worlds! Since your strategy practically revolves around your graveyard I'll steal your strength from you at a cost of a meager one thousand life points!" She breathed heavily after completing her declaration, wheezing because of her bruised and broken bones. (ILP: 3000)

So far D'harim hadn't even bothered to inflict any real damage to her. Instead he had toyed with her, making her hurt, making her suffer. He enjoyed it so much he wasn't concerned with her life points. "What a desperate strategy. The last act of a desperate woman. Fitting."

He took his cemetery and swapped it with his deck while Isis did the same, not bothered at all by the sudden turn of events. "I'm not finished either! I'll combo these two cards, Dark Hole and Heavy Storm to clear the field completely!"

D'harim merely stood there as all of his monsters were pulled into the black hole, while his magic and trap cards were blown away. Meanwhile her empty field went unharmed. Not that it mattered, as obviously she had made a serious mistake. "You're pathetic. There are plenty of cards that were in my deck that would be better in the grave, and when it becomes my turn I can unleash them. Thank you for assisting me with your Reversed Worlds card."

She grimaced, but knew it had to be done. That would allow her to finally go on the offensive and deal damage to his life points for the first time in the duel. It was a necessary loss, especially considering one of the other two cards she was holding. "I summon Yatagarasu(200/100), one of the deadliest monsters in the game! With no cards in your hand and none on the field I'm going to lock you done, so watch me! Attack!"

The large black bird flapped its wings and shot across the field, pecking him on the shoulder. He rolled his eyes and slapped it away, sending it reeling. The damage was minimal, but the effect of Yatagarasu meant that when it dealt damage to the opponent that player didn't have a draw phase in the next turn. "Interesting attempt. Of course all I have to do is discard a card from the top of my deck to revive a Death Knight. So useless all in all." (DLP: 3800)

"Not useless, I assure you. Because I can now activate Soul Seal! This permanent magic card will last for the next five turns, and locks out one ability for you while it's in play. That ability is the power of the Death Knights to be revived from the grave. Which means I've completely locked you down." Confident in her triumph she finished her turn, causing her spirit monster to return to her hand. All she had to do was draw some powerful monsters and she could end this.

D'harim glanced at his deck and then at his cemetery. He sighed and placed his hand in front of his cemetery slot, and without a word he popped a card out of it. "I'm afraid your supposed lock down is useless, all thanks to Reversed Worlds. You see, one of the cards you sent to the cemetery was Nightmare of Death, which can only be played while in the cemetery."

A dark mist seeped out from the ground, covering their legs from the knees and below. Isis had no idea what the card's effect was, but she was certain that it wasn't a good thing. "You see, Nightmare of Death allows me to deal one hundred points of damage to you for every Death Knight in the cemetery. Considering that only two Death Knights remain in my deck, that spells quite a bit of damage for you. Once again thanks to your own trap."

Isis tried to reply, but was silenced as the mist surged into her, flowing in through her ears, mouth, nose, even through her eyes. She tried to scream, but the mist was suffocating her as it drained her life and showed her visions of the horror that awaited her in death. It was a true nightmare. (ILP: 900)

"Ah, I knew your screams would be delicious. But tell me, are you still alive?" The mist seeped out of Isis' body and she slumped to the ground, her eyes gazing blankly forwards. He approached her and shrugged, seeing that she was in fact incapable of making a move.

"Don't worry, Nightmare of Death is a one time card. Oh but wait...I have other cards that can be activated from the cemetery. Such as Hands of the Damned, which forces you to discard your hand and take three hundred points of damage for each discarded. Of course it also deals an additional three hundred for each monster." He reached down and shoved Yatagarasu into her cemetery slot, causing the damage effect to activate. But since she was so far gone it didn't matter to her at all. (ILP: 300)

Since his turn was over he drew her next card, revealing a Swords of Revealing Light. He shrugged and slipped it into her disk, causing the card to activate. Green blades slammed down on his side of the field, meaning he was unable to attack for the next three turns. "Interesting stall. Let's find out if I can still win, shall we?"

Freed from the effect of the spirit bird he drew a card and smiled underneath his hood. "It appears that I can win and I have. Because I just drew the one card that can never go to the graveyard, no matter what the circumstance. Black Wind of Death!"

The black blades of wind tore apart her swords, tearing up her dress and her flesh as well. He didn't care about the pain anymore, because she was already gone. But he had to know, he always had to know. He had to win. "That's your end, and that's another soul for Eikyuu." (ILP: 0)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now, as the most powerful of the three of us, I think I'll go first." Taichi started off by drawing his opening hand of cards, and then drew another one. Meanwhile Ryu and Autumn drew their own hands, not bothering to look at them yet. At least not until Taichi had made his move.

"What an interesting hand. I can already tell you're going to die easily. But I'll start with an easy play as well, by setting a monster and one card. See if you can even keep up." His two cards appeared right in front of him. It was a simple, and very basic opening move, but nobody but Kirani had seen much of his Kuriboh Deck. No telling what to expect.

Ryu and Autumn glanced at each other, and after a slight pause Ryu nodded towards her, giving her the go ahead to take the first of their turns. He had chosen her so he could follow her lead. After all, she was a more experienced duelist. "First I draw."

She surveyed her hand, trying to figure out what she could do. She smiled to herself at the sight of a few of the cards she held, knowing what she could soon unleash. _'I'm already partially on my way to creating one of my strongest infinite loops. When I do Taichi won't stand a chance.'_

'_First I'm going to have to make sure I'm defended so that I can really make my play. Hopefully if Taichi finds a way past my cards I can count on Ryu to defend me. He knows that our best chance of winning is one of my infinite loops.'_ Satisfied that she had the answer to their problem, she began to make her move.

"I'm going to start by summoning Fire Princess(1300/1500) in defense mode." Her first monster was a woman in fairly simple red clothing. It was the special ability of Fire Princess that was going to really make her dangerous, because once Autumn had the other necessary cards assembled she could create a combo so deadly that Taichi wouldn't know what hit him.

"Now I set one magic or trap card face down just like you did. That ends my turn." With her turn over it was up to Ryu to keep up the pace they were at. She had to hope and trust that he wouldn't do anything reckless that would jeopardize them. Doing so might ruin their chance of victory.

Ryu breathed deeply once, then a second time, and then drew his card. He fanned his cards out in front of him so that he could get a good look at what he had to deal with. _'Hmm, this is a pretty balanced hand. Also gives me the chance to use one of my newest cards if I get another card I'd need.'_

He stopped looking at his hand and looked at the field as it was set up in front of them. Taichi's cards were a mystery, but Ryu was certain the set monster would have a weak defense. After all, it was probably some sort of Kuriboh. _'But it isn't the monster I need to worry about, but that face down card of his. If I walk into a trap this early in the duel it might screw us over.'_

His eyes fell on Fire Princess, and he finally remembered something that had been nagging at him since the moment that Autumn had summoned the monster. _'Now I remember what that card can do. I also know that she's already trying for one of her loops, so I'll just sit tight and keep her safe while she assembles the required cards. No need for recklessness now, because that could get us killed.'_

"I've decided what I'm going to do! First I'll set two of my cards face down on the field for later." His two cards appeared in front of him, not revealing whether they were magic or trap cards. He was the only one who knew, and he had plans for them for later. If all worked out they would prove quite useful.

Taichi rolled his eyes, annoyed at how long his opponents were taking. "If you don't finish your move soon I'm going to get old before this duel is over. I know you two are afraid of me, but stop being cowards and duel for real!"

"Fine! I'll summon a monster before ending my turn. The monster I bring out is Warrior Dai Grephar(1700/1000)!" Ryu's monster was a non-effect creature, and a warrior. It wore blueish armor and wielded a broadsword in both hands. It wasn't his strongest basic monster, but it would do for the moment.

The knight glanced at his newest card and smirked in that gross manner he had. After hearing of his actions with Kirani they knew that he was a truly sick person, so anything that made him smirk was a bad thing. "Prepare yourself for death weaklings."

A side panel of his Duel Pod slid open, a panel that Ryu and Autumn had a bad feeling about. If they were right, the next card to be played was one that changed the nature of any duel it was used in. "I activate the Seal of Orichalcos, enveloping the field in its ancient power!"

The six pointed green star formed beneath their feet, part of it extending into the air, hovering over nothing. Taichi stopped floating and let his feet touch down on the bottom of the solid seal, meaning he wouldn't have to expend anymore energy to remain flying. It was just like what he had done while facing Kirani.

"I'll also change the nature of the duel with a normal magic card. Supply Lines. Now that I've played this card each of us must draw one card during our end phase. I hope that pleases both of you." The two other duelists thought about the potential, and knew it could either help them or finish them.

Autumn was the one most pleased by this card's activation. It really would change the nature of the duel, and in her opinion it would change the duel in their favor. _'With that card's effect now active I'll be able to gather the necessary cards for my loops much easier. I've got to hand it to Taichi, he's practically handing the duel to us on a silver platter.'_

"I end my turn at that. Of course now I draw according to the effect of Supply Lines." He picked up a new card, partially replenishing his hand from the number he had played this turn. Because he had played so few cards during the duel he now had a hand of four cards, which would quickly become five at the start of his next turn.

As soon as the female duelist drew her card she knew that everything they needed was almost there, and it had been without the help of his new card. It had to be one of the best hands she had drawn in any duel, and with it she could win this duel like it was nothing. _'Somebody up there likes us.'_

"I play Reinforcements of the Army, allowing me to search my deck for a warrior that I happen to need." Taking her deck out of the slot she unfolded it, giving her a good view of her deck. It hadn't changed too much from the new cards they had gained, because much of it was dedicated to her loop combos which couldn't be altered in any way.

She soon found the card she need, so she was able to reshuffle her deck and return it to its original position. With this card she was just one step away from gaining victory for them and putting Taichi out of commission. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight(1800/1600), a key mechanism in my deck's power!"

The iron warrior stood proudly just a few feet away from Ryu's warrior. The blade on the end of his right arm was deadly, but that wasn't her reason for using him. Oh no, she had far more important things in mind for Gearfried. _'With the help of Gearfried and one more card in my deck I can crush Taichi completely.'_

"Now I activate the permanent magic card Morale Boost. This magic card allows me to gain one thousand life points whenever an equip card is added to a monster, but I lose the same amount when that equip goes to the grave." Her card appeared face up, as yet another part in one of her strongest loops. Just one item remained.

"I'll end my turn there and draw a card. Thanks for playing Supply Lines Taichi." She grinned at the sight of her new card, knowing that they'd be able to show Taichi what they could do soon enough. Once again it was up to Ryu to continue their streak of good luck so that they could end this duel without any pain involved.

The older teen picked up another card to add to his hand, and was surprised to see what it was. With this card he could really do Taichi in. _'This is it! Taichi's hidden card may be a trap, but it's about to become completely useless! This duel is in the bag already!'_

"Get ready to meet my newest monster! I like to think this creature is a lot like me, because it has the heart of a dragon and the will of a warrior! Go Polymerization, fuse Warrior Dai Grephar together with Spirit Ryu from my hand!" The two monsters jumped into the opening vortex, combining together to great a far more powerful monster.

"I unveil one of my deadliest creatures, the monster version of me and my new favorite card! Ryu Senshi(2000/1600)!" The monster was simply Warrior Dai Grephar, only now he was covered in armor the same color and texture as Spirit Ryu's scales. That dragonic armor was what made his monster so deadly.

"Ryu Senshi's abilities outclass most other monsters, making up by far for his only average attack power. His dragonic armor makes him totally immune to magic cards, and allows me to pay one thousand life points to negate the activation of a trap and destroy it! So he'll be able to attack with impunity!" Ryu Senshi and Ryu both smirked, and the warrior readied his blade for the attack.

"Attack your set monster might rid the field of it, but I've got a better plan. I'm going to deal you some serious damage right now, by activating my Meteor Rain trap card! For this turn my monster can deal damage through defense, so I'll show you his power. Ryu Senshi, Dragon Blade Slash!" The warrior bellowed out his battle cry and rushed across the field, slamming his blade down against the set monster.

The monster revealed itself as a Kuriboh with a shiny steel exterior. It squealed and bopped its head against Ryu Senshi's blade, knocking it away. The monster remained unharmed and squealed with delight. "This is Kuri Defender(300/200). He can't be destroyed in battle, so while you deal damage he remains." (TLP: 2200)

Taichi smiled and patted his steel Kuriboh on the head. It rubbed against his hand like a cat. The pure cuteness factor caused Autumn's eyes to light up and she clapped her hands together as she stared at the little thing. Ryu wasn't that immersed though. "Oh great....adorable fuzz balls and Autumn. This will get annoying really quickly."

He cleared his throat, bring attention back to him and away from the Kuri Defender. Once he had their attention he drew a card, showing that he was following Supply Lines' effect by drawing during his end phase. His turn was over, and the advantage was theirs.

Taichi drew his next card, and smirked yet again. A smirk that was starting to irritate Ryu really quickly. "I set one card face down and then summon Kuri General(500/400). Of course he gains dark power, increasing his attack by 500. Then his effect activates, boosting allow Kuri Clan members including himself by 400 attack and defense points."

His new monster was a simple Kuriboh with a green military uniform with a lot of stripes and medals on it. For some strange reason it also had an oversized cigar in its mouth. "So he has fourteen hundred attack and Kuri Defender has twelve hundred attack. Not enough to get past you. So that means I end."

Autumn smirked right back at Taichi and immediately activated one of her cards right after drawing. "I activate Magical Well, letting me put a magic card from my deck into my hand. I can't set or activate it for this turn, so right now you're safe." She found the card quickly and added it to her hand.

"I'll set card, and then since Ryu Senshi is in play I'll attack Kuri General with Gearfried. Iron Fierce!" The knight stabbed his arm forwards, sending a wave of power across the field by sheer use of strength. Kuri General let out a shrill cry, and suddenly Kuri Defender hopped in the way, taking the blast and remaining unharmed.

"Kuri General commands his troops very well. He lets me move any targeting to a Kuri Clan member of my choosing. He's perfect in combination with Kuri Defender, as I can just block all your attacks by moving them to my steel Kuriboh." He was right indeed, as he did have everything all prepared for any attack they made. Not that it would matter once her next turn rolled around.

Ryu grabbed another cad, and smirked at what he saw. He was going to unleash even more power so that once they got past Kuri Defender, if they even needed to, it would be easy enough to completely obliterate Taichi. "I play Monster Reborn on Warrior Dai Grephar."

The monster returned to the field, waiting for his next command. He had the perfect use for it in mind, Taichi would love it. "I play Descent of White Dragon, offering Warrior Dai Grephar for Paladin of White Dragon(1900/1200)!"

The first warrior was soon replaced by a white armored knight riding a thin blue dragon with no eyes. Although it appeared weak, it had the power needed to really kick this duel up a notch. "Here, let me show you some real power. I offer Paladin of White Dragon to special summon Blue Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500) to the field!"

The paladin vanished and was replaced by the massive white dragon who roared, displaying all of his many many teeth. Taichi didn't seem bothered though. "Ah yes, your self made Blue Eyes. Pretty underhanded tactic to get a card, but oh well, you are a weakling so you have to do whatever you can to get ahead."

"Bastard...I'll show you soon enough! For now I can't attack, so that's the end of my turn." He slipped another card off his deck, giving him two cards to work with when he had his next turn. But if he knew Autumn, and he did, there wouldn't be another turn for him. Because it would all end in her next turn.

Taichi glanced at his card and smiled. "This card is going to turn this entire duel around really quickly. It's about to leave you speechless! Go, Mesmeric Kuriboh Plushy!" Ryu sweat dropped at the mere mention of the name, but it only got worse when the thing actually appeared on the field.

It was a small shiny Kuriboh toy, dancing around happily singing 'Kuri' over and over again. Ryu chanced a glance at his girlfriend and saw that her eyes had gone wide with delight at the sight of the adorable little thing. "It's so cute!"

"Yes, cute. You see, that has long been of the most notable attribute of the Kuriboh. So the Kuri Clan chose to exploit this, and the plushy before you is the result! Its sheer cuteness will mesmerize the Blue Eyes White Dragon and bring it to me!" Ry snorted in disbelief, but stopped abruptly when he saw that the once mighty Blue Eyes was staring at the plushy with the same adoring look in it's eyes that Autumn had.

"The power of cuteness compels you!" The plushy began to bounce backwards, and like a child chasing a ball it advanced, going after it. It took only a few seconds to catch up, and soon it was playfully batting the thing up into the air with its feet, stars in its eyes as it played with the plushy.

Ryu's sweat drops seemed to be multiplying exponentially by the second as the cuteness continued. There was only so much of it he could take! "This is by far the most disturbing thing I've seen. Ever."

The knight of air snickered at Ryu's disbelief. He had far more planned than simply creating a mindless display of positive cuteness. "Your Blue Eyes has fallen to the power of the cuteness, but it's completely useless to me. Therefore I'm going to sacrifice it as an offering to my magic card. Five Star Twilight!"

The Blue Eyes and the plushy both vanished, and suddenly five stars descended from the ceiling above them. They were different colors, and they began to form into Kuribohs, each of a different color as well, corresponding with the star color. "All I had to do was sacrifice a five star or higher monster so I could special summon the Kuriboh Brothers. Kuriboh(300/200, Kuribe(300/200), Kuribi(300/200), Kuriba(300/200), and Kuribu(300/200)!"

The five brothers turned from cute to angry in seconds as the dark power of the seal applied to them, boosting their strength by five hundred. They also each gained four hundred more points from Kuri General. "Now allow me to show you one of their powers. They can combine together to form Kuribablyon, who gains all of their power for himself!"

The five brothers united, and the result was grayish-black Kuriboh with a horn in the middle of its forehead. But the application of the seal's dark power changed it, giving it horrendous fangs and making it truly demonic. "Remember how I mentioned it had the combined power of all the siblings? Well I was talking attack and defense points, meaning with the two bonuses Kuribabylon(6900/3400) has more power than you can hope to match!"

Ryu and Autumn could only stare in horror at the incredibly powerful beast before them. If it succeeded in making a serious attack, they would be finished. "Kuribablyon, attack Gearfried and eliminate Autumn from the duel!"

The demonic monster jumped across the field, its horn pointing straight towards the iron knight. If it completed the attack Autumn's life points would drop to zero, and she couldn't allow that, not when they were so close to victory. "I chain with Voodoo Doll! This will move the attack to your side of the field!"

Kuribablyon changed direction in mid-jump and headed towards Taichi. The knight sneered and motioned towards his steel Kuriboh. It jumped in the way, and Kuribablyon bounced harmlessly off. "I block it with Kuri Defender, which means I am safe. You get one more turn, but when it's my turn I'll finish you both off for good."

As soon as his turn ended, Autumn's began. She drew her card but didn't even bother to look at it. She merely took one card from her hand and held it up. "This duel is already over, because I hold in my hand my ultimate weapon. Butterfly Dagger-Elma!"

"When Butterfly Dagger-Elma is destroyed and it automatically returns to my hand. Whenever Gearfried is equipped with a card that card is destroyed. Whenever I equip a card Morale Boost increases my life points of 1000 which I will promptly lose because of it's second effect and Gearfried's effect." She smirked broadly as she got to explaining the last part of her loop combo.

"Finally, the ability of Fire Princess will deal five hundred damage to you since I gain life points. It doesn't matter that I lost them immediately, you'll still take damage. Of course since Butterfly Dagger returned to my hand I can replay it on Gearfried to gain 1000 and deal five hundred more. I can continue to do this infinitely." The two of them exchanged a victory sign, knowing that it was over.

"This means that I can now deal infinite damage. So go, Infinite Life Burn Combo!" She slammed the card into her disk, equipping it to Gearfried and therefore destroying it. Fire Princess raised its hands and sent a jet of flame towards Taichi in order to inflict damage to him by it's effect.

"I'll play it five times for an even twenty-five hundred damage, easily enough to end you once and for all! It's all over Taichi, and we've won!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Huzzah! Much duelness! Oh, and unlike the first infinite loop I had Autumn use, this one actually does work. Takes set up, but it is infinite life point drain.

Time Mage: Rishid was in body armor after the first time he was shot. You'll just have to wait to find out most of the answers.

VoidTemplar: Yes, a combination of both works. Oh, and no this is much more. That was the original thought for it, this is longer than that. We've only now reached the second half of the story.

Original Cards

D'harim: Death Knight Reaper, Black Wind of Death, Death Knight Strategist, Nightmare of Death, Hands of the Damned

Rishid: Onslaught From The Grave

Isis: Soul Seal

Taichi: Supply Lines(Vaurnut), Kuri Defender, Kuri General, Mesmeric Kuriboh Plushy

Autumn: Magical Well, Voodoo Doll

Anime Original Cards

Taichi: Five Star Twilight, Kuribi, Kuribe, Kuribu, Kuriba, Kuribablyon


	21. Flames of Unity

Author's Notes: The two on one duel of Autumn and Ryu versus Taichi continues in this exciting chapter!

_**Chapter Twenty: Flames of Unity**_

_Ryu and Autumn could only stare in horror at the incredibly powerful beast before them. If it succeeded in making a serious attack, they would be finished. "Kuribablyon, attack Gearfried and eliminate Autumn from the duel!" _

_The demonic monster jumped across the field, its horn pointing straight towards the iron knight. If it completed the attack Autumn's life points would drop to zero, and she couldn't allow that, not when they were so close to victory. "I chain with Voodoo Doll! This will move the attack to your side of the field!"_

_Kuribablyon changed direction in mid-jump and headed towards Taichi. The knight sneered and motioned towards his steel Kuriboh. It jumped in the way, and Kuribablyon bounced harmlessly off. "I block it with Kuri Defender, which means I am safe. You get one more turn, but when it's my turn I'll finish you both off for good."_

_As soon as his turn ended, Autumn's began. She drew her card but didn't even bother to look at it. She merely took one card from her hand and held it up. "This duel is already over, because I hold in my hand my ultimate weapon. Butterfly Dagger-Elma!"_

"_When Butterfly Dagger-Elma is destroyed and it automatically returns to my hand. Whenever Gearfried is equipped with a card that card is destroyed. Whenever I equip a card Morale Boost increases my life points of 1000 which I will promptly lose because of it's second effect and Gearfried's effect." She smirked broadly as she got to explaining the last part of her loop combo._

"_Finally, the ability of Fire Princess will deal five hundred damage to you since I gain life points. It doesn't matter that I lost them immediately, you'll still take damage. Of course since Butterfly Dagger returned to my hand I can replay it on Gearfried to gain 1000 and deal five hundred more. I can continue to do this infinitely." The two of them exchanged a victory sign, knowing that it was over._

"_This means that I can now deal infinite damage. So go, Infinite Life Burn Combo!" She slammed the card into her disk, equipping it to Gearfried and therefore destroying it. Fire Princess raised its hands and sent a jet of flame towards Taichi in order to inflict damage to him by it's effect._

"_I'll play it five times for an even twenty-five hundred damage, easily enough to end you once and for all! It's all over Taichi, and we've won!" _

Ryu and Autumn heaved a sigh of relief as a tornado of fire wrapped around their opponent, concealing him from view. Now, thanks to the power of Autumn's Infinite Life Burn Combo their troubles were over.

Ryu stopped smiling after about ten seconds. The fire tornado was still swirling around Taichi. He had seen a lot of anime, and in situations like this where you thought you had won and the opponent couldn't be seen it always meant...

"Shit! Autumn, are you sure your combo went through?" His question surprised her, but she nodded. She knew it had gone through, she hadn't seen him change anything and if he had stopped her then the Fire Princess wouldn't have launched its attacks.

"If it worked, then why is that fire still there? And why hasn't the Seal closed around him?" As if prodded into action by his words the flames began to bend outwards as if something was pushing at it from the inside. In one moment of deadly force the tornado burst, revealing their enemy.

Taichi Nobuki stood there, seemingly unharmed. His brown cloak had been burned away, leaving him standing in only his crimson body suit. Other than that he was fine, and he was sneering at them. "Is that the true strength of your deck? In that case this duel is going to be even easier than I thought."

Autumn had never seen her infinite loops fail once activated. It didn't make sense for him to be fine after the life draining assault which she had sent his way. "I don't get it. How did you manage to withstand that assault?"

In response he put his left arm out, and the card beneath it flipped up. "This is how I did it. Damage Reflux, whose power reverses any life point damage I take this turn into a life point increase. So go ahead and play your combo as much as you want, it'll just prove to make me stronger!"

The two duelists realized that they were in trouble. Having withstood Autumn's infinite loop for this turn he would get another chance to destroy it in his next turn. That had been their best chance of victory, and it had just made him stronger. "So weaklings. Now that you've succeeded in putting my life points above their starting point what will you do next? Disney Land perhaps?" (TLP: 4700)

Autumn felt her entire body weakening, felt her insecurities taking over. She barely even noticed as her knees hit the bottom of the Seal. _'That's one of my best combos and he defeated it without even trying. Without the power of my infinite loops, how can we win this? Is it really over?'_

"Autumn! Are you okay? Come on, answer me!" Ryu rushed over to his girlfriend and knelt down next to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. What he saw was a shocked and horrified look in her eyes. A broken look, a look of despair.

"Looks like your little girlfriend has realized the futility of opposing me. She understands mankind's current place. On it's knees!" The former gang member felt his nails pressing tightly against his palm as he clenched his fists as tightly as he could. It was just becoming worse because of that sneaky bastard's laughter.

Whirling around he rose to his feet, determination in his eyes. "Do you see where I am Taichi? I'm standing on my feet to oppose you! That's where mankind's current place is, in opposition to you and your order! So even if it costs my life I'll fight for that position, fight on my feet! And I'll remain standing even in death!"

Taichi raised a hand and put it in front of his mouth, covering an exaggerated yawn. Stretching his arms out behind him he yawned again, this time louder than before. "Oh please, is that really the best speech you could come up with? When you give a speech you need to be able to back it up, and you can't back that up."

Ryu opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a golden flare of energy from right behind him. His eyes and Taichi's were drawn to the glowing figure of Autumn who was now on her feet, the eye symbol alive and bright on her forehead. "But we can back it up. We'll back it up with our real power and sweep you lot aside like the dogs you are!"

The light dimmed down, revealing the changes that had taken place in Autumn. Her hair extended back more, and her smile was sinister. Her eyes were also a much darker color. Ryu recognized this form immediately. "Misuno..."

"You hit the nail on the head. My light half is busy consoling the little one, so I'll be taking over for the moment. I'm the real source of power in this trio, and I'm about to prove it. Of course I can't do much yet, so I'll set a card face down and switch Gearfried into defense mode." Misuno drew from the power of Supply Lines, giving the control of the turn to Ryu.

Now that it was his turn Ryu had to make some decisions. His hand didn't have much support for him, and there was no way he could take on Kuribablyon and its enormous attack power. _'Looks like I'm going to have to go defensive like Misuno did. Hopefully I can draw another monster to help out.'_

He let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding after drawing his card. He took it and placed it on his field. "Ruby Dragon(1600/1400) in defense mode. I also move Ryu Senshi to defense mode. End Turn." His two monsters and his set cards were now all that separated him from the power of Kuribablyon.

The Knight of Air added his newest card to his other four, and then grabbed two other cards. "I'll set one card face down. Then I activate Halt Play, preventing any player from activating or setting any magic or trap cards until the end of your next turn Autumn."

Ryu recognized that card quite well. It had been one of the cards the dark spirit in Taichi's form had used to defeat him in a duel, along with Hinata. He just had to pray that this duel didn't have the same outcome.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Ryu and Kensai both groaned, knowing that their team was in bad shape for whatever move Taichi might make next. Taichi knew this, and as he drew a fourth card into his hand he flashed them a sadistic grin to show that he was well aware of this. _

"_I'll set one card face down, and activate the magic card, Halt Play! Now, until the end of my opponent's next turn, no magic or trap cards can be activated. So I'll summon Demon Soldier(1900/1500) and have it and Dark Ruler Hades attack Ryu directly!" _

_The monster that Taichi summoned was a purple skinned demon with spikes extending from all parts of his body and a pair of curling steel horns on the side of its head. A green cape fluttered behind it and its weapon of choice was a scimitar that looked as deadly as the skull knight's had. _

_The Demon Soldier unsheathed its blade and bounded across the field, Hades running at his side. Their goal was to strike down Ryu, and without the power to activate his own face down card, he was utterly defenseless...or so he thought. _

"_Landstar Swordsman, defend against Hades's attack!" Hinata's little swordsman lept in the way and took the full force of Hades's strike. The demon ruler picked the swordsman up in both its hands and then brought him forcefully down upon its knee. The breaking of bone could be heard, and Landstar Swordsman screamed in agony as its back was broken. _

_Its cry was accompanied moments later by the cry of the duelist it had been protecting. Demon Soldier's slashing blade cut a red line across Ryu's shoulder and then the game's rule took effect. He started to lose who he was as his life points ticked down. This time the pain was so far beyond what he had previously experienced that the world itself faded away, leaving nothing but the cold white of his agony. _

_(RLP: 1550) Slowly the other colors in the spectrum of his world started to return. However the blank look on his face was enough to let those present realize that something had changed. His confusion was evident, and its cause was that so much of who he was had been separated from his body. He just couldn't remember who he was. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I believe it's time to crush your loop. Kuribablyon, destroy Fire Princess!"

The demon gored the spellcaster with its horn, splattering blood against the ground. It pulled the horn out and returned to Taichi, seeming happy as Fire Princess shattered into digital dust. "It's only a pity that your monster was in defense mode. End Turn."

Misuno now had six cards in her hand, giving her a lot of options to work with. Ryu wondered whether he should think of Misuno as a he or a she, as the spirit was male but the body female. _'That's gotta be weird, being a guy who looks like a girl.'_

"Here's the part of this deck that responds to me and me alone! I sacrifice Gearfried and my set monster to summon one of my newest creatures, Barrel Dragon EX(2700/2500)!" The monster that arose was what looked like a more high-tech version of Barrel Dragon. Its armor was sleek and futuristic, and the former revolver barrels on top of it were now what looked like plasma cannons.

"Barrel Dragon EX has an effect like that of Blowback Dragon. I can target any card with it's coin flip effect, and all I need is two heads to destroy your monsters! So let's flip shall we?" Three giant coins appeared on the field and flipped up into the air, and came tumbling back down. One landed flat on its back, displaying tails. The other two however were heads.

"I'll use this opportunity to get rid of that overly powerful demon of yours. Say goodbye to Kuribablyon! Barrel Dragon EX, Plasma Cannon Blast!" A spray of blue light erupted from the end of its cannons, shooting straight at the undefended big-toothed monster.

"Idiot weakling. I'll use Kuri General's effect to move it to Kuri Defender, who cannot be destroyed by a targeted effect as long as he remains in defense mode. Meaning the secret to beat him is to somehow get him into attack mode. Of course you'll never manage that, meaning I have an infinite barrier against anything you throw at me and my Kuri Clan!" Misuno narrowed his eyes, then sighed and drew a card.

Knowing he had to pick up the slack he drew his card, hoping for something useful. What he got was exactly the right thing. "This is just going to take a little effort Misuno, but it will be worth it, trust me. I start by sacrificing Ruby Dragon for Tri-Horn Knight(2000/1600)!"

A powerfully built warrior appeared, dressed in samurai garb that had three yellow horns on the helmet. Anybody guessing who knew their cards well could tell where it got its name, and what he was about to do. "Allow me to show you another union, because I play Banner of the Tri-Horn, allowing me to special summon Tri-Horned Dragon(2850/2650) since I have my knight in play!"

His newest monster was a large blue dragon, with spikes on its body. Most notable were the three yellow horns on top of its head that gave it that name. "Tri-Horned Dragon is one of the strongest dragons in the game, outranked by only a small number like the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He gets more powerful now that I union Tri-Horn Knight to him!"

Grabbing hold of a horn the knight pulled himself up onto Tri-Horned Dragon's back, and hefted a spear. Tri-Horned Dragon threw back its head and roared as loudly as it could. Kuribablyon growled right back, not intimidated by the significantly weaker monster. "Since I've united them Tri-Horned Dragon now gains eight hundred attack points, making it outclass even the Blue Eyes!"

Confident in the power of his dragonic union he grabbed two more cards and slid them onto his disk. "All I can do at the moment is set those two cards face down. Back to you Taichi." Feeling a bit more relaxed now that he had a powerful monster on the field he used the power of Supply Lines to slightly replenish his hand.

Taichi immediately played his card, and a very familiar furball appeared in front of them. The furball that was Kuriboh(300/200). "Now that I've got Kuriboh on the field I'll activate one of my set cards, Multiply! My lone Kuriboh becomes five, filling up all of my zones!"

The brown hairball split into five separate versions of the same creature, each one becoming more demonic as they gained dark power from the Seal of Orichalcos. "That's not all, I'm going to activate another set card, Polymerization! I combine these five Kuriboh into King Kuriboh(2000/1200)!"

The five monsters merged themselves together into the mightier humanoid spellcaster who ruled over the Kuri Clan. "His power boosts the attack of all my Kuri Clan members by five hundred, sort of like Kuri General. His attack becomes twenty-nine hundred, Kuri Defender's becomes seventeen hundred, Kuri General has nineteen hundred, and Kuribablyon has seventy-four hundred!"

Ryu grimaced, losing some of his confidence. With that kind of extra boost they would be even harder pressed to match up against Taichi's monsters. They could make even the weakest of monsters a contender with a combined total of fourteen hundred bonus points. "I'm far from done! Kuribablyon, obliterate Barrel Dragon EX!"

Kuribablyon snarled, saliva dripping from its jaws. Its eyes on its target it rushed at the mighty machine dragon. Before it could reach Barrel Dragon EX a bright blue barrier formed in front of it. Misuno smirked at Taichi as he played his card. "I'm sure you recognize Mirror Force, right? Well now it blows all of your monsters but Kuri Defender to hell!"

"You think so do you? King Kuriboh, show Misuno your power!" The lord of all the Kuriboh raised his right arm into the air and snapped his fingers. Moments later the blue barrier faded, and Kuribablyon retreated to Taichi's side.

"King Kuriboh can easily save my monsters from your effects, but sadly the attack was still negated. Whenever Kuribabylon's attack fails it splits into its original five forms. So welcome back the Kuriboh Brothers!" The five multi-colored creatures reappeared, each one rocketing to seventeen hundred attack power.

"You know, I suppose I could try and kill Barrel Dragon EX with King Kuriboh, but I think I'll wait. Once my next turn comes around I'll just recombine my five siblings into an even more powerful Kuribablyon!" He snapped a card off his deck and licked his lips, happy at just the thought of the strength his monster would have once he recreated it.

Misuno grimaced at having wasted a powerful trap for nothing. Not only that but he had expended some of his precious energy in order to convert the set card into Mirror Force, all to have it backfire. _'This little brat is more powerful than I anticipated. It seems his claims and Autumn's fears are well founded. I'll have to be more cautious in the future.'_

The darker spirit of the staff drew his next card giving him a total of seven to work with. He scowled at his new card, knowing that it wasn't going to help. Not only that, but any more card alteration and he'd be caught by Taichi. _'Seven cards and every single one is worthless! I knew I should have taken control while everyone was editing their decks and made her make a few more changes!'_

"Considering that Barrel Dragon EX's effect is worthless right now, I suppose I'm going to have to just move it into defense mode." The mechanical monsters dropped to its knees, and armor plating moved into place to cover up all of its weak points.

"Now I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress(800/2200) in defense. I'll follow that up with these cards." A spiky machine sat ready to take any assault, his Gear Golem. He slipped two cards from his hand onto the disk, which appeared in front of him as well.

Shooting a look over at his 'partner' the spirit shot a harsh comment in the other duelist's way. "You better have a way to beat him with this plan of yours, otherwise this duel is going to end very badly. My turn is over."

"Draw!" The teenager barely registered what his new cards was, because he had a plan ready to go. Hopefully it would work, otherwise they were going to be in deep trouble. He pressed a button on his disk, and one of his two set cards began to lift up.

"I'll reveal one of my strongest traps, Union Task Force! During this turn one unioned monster can attack the opposing player directly! All it costs is a discard from my hand, and then I'll be able to bring your life points down within striking distance." He ditched a card which would have been useless anyways, and activated the power of his card.

Tri-Horned Dragon and the knight astride it began to glow with a dark red aura. The energy was being provided by his trap, and it was going to do the deed. "With this new power I'll give you something to really fear! Tri-Horned Dragon Knight, go direct! Rampage of the Tri-Horn!"

The dragon let out a fierce challenging roar and charged forwards, the knight raising his weapon and yelling his challenge as well. The horde of Kuri Clan members gave a chorus of 'kuriii!' and stood at the ready. Taichi stood at the ready as well.

"Pathetic weakling! I activate one of the abilities of my siblings! Together they can negate an attack and reduce any damage to zero! Kuriboh Brother Defense Formation!" The five siblings formed themselves into a line and stretched their tiny hands out. The lead one strained itself, and a bright glowing star emerged from its hands. The star blocked the charge of Tri-Horned Dragon Knight, keeping it from completing its attack.

"Damn! I was counting on that attack as well...so now what?" Not knowing what else to do, and not having any other moves that he could make at the moment, Ryu was forced to end his turn. He had been all geared up about using his trap's power to nearly finish off Taichi, but it had completely failed.

Taichi looked at his new card with interest, and then refocused his attention on the game itself. Smirking he gestured broadly to his army of Kuribohs. "Take a good look at my Kuriboh Brothers, for each one has seventeen hundred attack points. Now I combine them together into Kuribabylon(9900/3400)!"

Ryu tried to keep his hands from shaking upon seeing the incredible attack power Kuribablyon now possessed, but he was failing. Even though he had seen monsters with greater, namely that crazy monster of Taichi's that he used against Autumn, but he had never faced on before. _'How the hell are we supposed to beat a monster that falls just short of ten thousand attack points?'_

"That's not all, I play two magic cards from my hand. Song of the Kuri Clan and a second Song of the Kuri Clan! Each one grants me the power to special summon two Kuri Clan members from my hand to the field, and I know just what monsters to summon." He flipped three cards in has hand around, revealing three level seven creatures. Level sevens that the two duelists recognized.

"I summon all three Blue Eyed Kuri Dragons(2400/2000 X3) to the field! You weren't there at the time I explained their effect, so I'll do it again. They gain attack and defense points equal to two hundred times every Kuri Clan member on the field." Misuno and Ryu did the counting. King Kuriboh, Kuri Defender, Kuri General, Kuribablyon, and three Blue Eyed Kuri Dragons. Seven monsters.

"I'm sure by now you've done the math. Witness the awesome might of the Blue Eyed Kuri Dragons(5200/3800 X3)!" The three furry dragons roared, failing to intimidate any of Misuno or Ryu's monsters. Tri-Horned Dragon roared back, not yet realizing that it was far outmatched. There was nothing it could do to stop the attack of those three creatures, let alone Kuribabylon.

"Remember how I said two for each Song of the Kuri Clan? Well here's the fourth and final one, Cyborg Kuriboh(1000/700). Not only does he send each of my dragons up by a further two hundred attack and defense points, but he reaches a powerful twenty-four hundred of his own!" The half-machine/half-hairball didn't make any sort of sound, it merely swept its cold gaze across the field.

"Allow me to use Cyborg Kuriboh's special ability. Once per turn I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field, and it cannot be chained in reaction! Cyber Hack!" The mechanical puffball's eyes glowed as it began to hack its way into the controls of Misuno's duel disk, and one of his set cards shattered into a million pieces.

"Count them up. Eight monsters, all but two with more attack power than most monsters in the game! Now do you truly understand the power of the Kuri Clan, the power of unity? No worthless humans like yourselves can stand up to this strength!" He threw back his head and started laughing, fully certain of his victory.

'_Why shouldn't he be certain? There's no way either of us could mount a defense against creatures as powerful as those dragons. We couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of that demon of his. It's all over...there's no hope.'_ He felt his knees give way, and he saw Misuno fall as well. Both of them realized that the end was standing right in front of them.

"Hold it Taichi, before you continue I'll play Desperate Defense, moving my monsters into defense mode. Th...that's all I can do." His monsters moved into defense, meaning that he may or may not lose in this turn. Luckily all their monsters had decent defense power, so they could probably last through this turn.

"Ready my monsters? All out assault!" The two other duelists shielded themselves as multiple attacks slammed down upon their field, clearing it completely. No monster was left when the dust had cleared, and Taichi still had three monsters left who could attack.

"I'll finish you one of your off in this turn. Kuri General and Cyborg Kuriboh will attack Autumn, or whoever the hell that is directly for forty-three hundred points of damage!" A missile hatch opened on the cyborg's shoulder, and it launched it. Kuri General just spat a fireball out of its mouth, both heading towards Misuno to finish him off, and therefore Autumn at the same time.

Misuno sneered and flipped up his set card, revealing a quick-play card. "I'll activate Shrink to cut Cyborg Kuriboh's power in half! You may nearly take me down, but I'm not out yet!" The two attacks collided with him, blowing him backwards. When the smoke cleared he wasn't moved, but he was mostly unharmed. (ALP: 900)

"So that one survived eh? Well that's alright, I'll end it next turn. Kuri Defender, attack Ryu directly!" The little steel monster jumped straight at Ryu, slamming into his stomach and knocking him backwards. His breath left him in a rush, and he struggled to remain standing. It felt like one of his ribs had been busted by that attack. (RLP: 2300)

"You two truly are pathetic! You have yet to even experience my full strength and you two are nearly gone while I remain with more than my share of life points! You stand chance of defeating me, and you should have realized that at the start, it would have saved you a lot of pain and suffering!" A burst of wind flared up around him, a way for him to flaunt his power in his moment before triumphing.

Slowly the prone form of Misuno reached its feet. But now the features weren't as sharp, they were in fact much softer, much more feminine. This was more like the real Autumn, but the eyes had a more knowing look to them. "I am called Autsu-Ba'ast. The light side of this trio. Since my darker half is incapacitated and Autumn is resting I'll take over for now."

The new spirit drew her card, and smiled as she saw it. "I'm a new duelist, so this card is rather useful. Reload, to replenish my hand. All I have to do is shuffle my current hand into my deck and I can draw an equal number of cards."

She shuffled the other five cards she was holding back into her deck, and then she drew another set off the top of her deck. Now with a whole new set of options she was ready to continue the duel. "This should help. I'll set one monster. Now I play Monster Reborn, and recall Gear Golem the Moving Fortress(800/2200)!"

With two new defense monsters in play she had another chance to keep herself self, one she had to hope would work. "I'll place these cards face down. That is all I can do." With the end of her turn came the draw from Supply Lines. But since she had refreshed her field they might still have a chance.

Ryu felt a bit out of sorts with Autumn switching minds back and forth like that, but he knew they needed whatever help they could get. He had never actually seen Autsu-Ba'ast take over for Autumn, but she had mentioned the spirit, tending to just call her AB for short. _'Well, it is easier to say. Though why she says it in English I'll never know.'_

"I can't do much. I set two cards on the field, a monster and another card." With his two cards in play he was finished, leaving him with just two cards. One he had just drawn so it wouldn't be of any use to him yet. Now was the time to really pray for some saving grace to come.

The knight drew his next card and started laughing. Ryu growled low in his throat, not liking the sound of that laughter. Whenever one of the bad guys laughed it always sucked for the good guys. "I'll teach you another lesson in ultimate power! I activate Polymerization and fuse together the three Blue Eyed Kuri Dragons!"

Each of the three giant furry dragons was pulled into a swirling vortex. What emerged was a somewhat frightful sight, but mostly embarrassing. Just like Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon it was a three-headed version of the original monster. But seeing it in a form covered with fur where the three heads were just Kuribohs bobbing up and down was...taxing to someone serious. _'I'm gonna die from all the cuteness...'_

"Behold Ultima Kuriboh(4000/3500) who gains three hundred attack and defense power for each monster with 'kuri' in its name on the field. Count up the totals shall you, and then you can see the horror I have in store for you!" With all the attack bonuses it got, the monster soon nearly reached the level of Kuribabylon. Ultima Kuriboh now had seventy-two hundred attack points and fifty-six hundred defense points.

"Now let's get down to business. Cyber Hack!" One of Autsu's set cards shook violently for several seconds. Finally it exploded, leaving behind pixilated fragments of itself. Now all she had was two monsters and one set card, while Ryu had just one set card and one set monster. Not much between them and six overly powerful monsters.

"Cyborg Kuriboh, blow away Gear Golem!" The spiked golem was unable to stand up to the missile barrage and was blown away. With the number of monsters they had ever depleting things were looking grim for them.

"Keep in mind before activating any life saving traps that my King Kuriboh protects all those of the Kuri Clan from dangers like that. Speaking of which, Kuri General, blow away that set monster!" The ball of flame slammed down on the set monster, burning it to cinders.

Suddenly a hand reached up out of the graveyard and opened, allowing Gear Golem the Moving Fortress to trundle out onto the field. "You destroy the monster form of Call of the Haunted(300/300) who lets me special summon a monster from the cemetery to the field."

Taichi sneered at the reappearance of this monster, not bothered by it. He still had four more attacks and his opponents only had two more monsters. He had this duel already won. "I'm not frightened. King Kuriboh, vaporize it!"

Gear Golem vanished for a second time, this time under the assault of a blast of black magic from the ruler of the Kuribohs. Autumn's field was now completely empty. "Kuri Defender, attack her directly and finish her off!"

"Not so fast! I activate Scapegoat, filling my field with four Goat Tokens(0/0) in defense mode!" The fluffy multi-colored goats took shape, and one was quickly crushed by the ball of steel that was Kuri Defender. That left two more monsters that hadn't attacked, and three more goats.

"You're only delaying the inevitable! All of my remaining monsters attack your goats!" The next two attacks dropped her number of defenders down to a measly one. With no attack or defense points the lonely goat token was no match for his mighty attackers. Even the basic Kuriboh with no assistance could defeat one of those puny goats.

"I'll set one card face down. Now the turn is yours spirit. See if you can manage to do anything with it." Autsu and Ryu heaved a collective sigh of relief, happy to have made it through that turn. Now they had a free turn to prepare themselves for the next assault.

Autsu's new card gave her everything she needed to recover. "I'll continue this trend with a similar move. I play Magic Shard Excavation and discard two cards to pick up one magic card from my cemetery." She ditched the two cards, then caught a third which was ejected from her grave.

"I play Scapegoat, filling my field completely. Now I have five monsters to defend me! Unfortunately I have no more cards to use, so my turn is over." With her turn over Ryu felt the strain of the dueling reaching him. He had just one turn to get ready, and if he didn't do well enough they were going to lose. Hoping was all that was left.

"I set one card face down and place a monster. End turn!" Now he had two monsters and two magic or trap cards. Not that it would really help against the incredible power that Taichi had. He could feel fear burning through his system, weakening him in each moment. A fear he needed to fight.

Taichi drew his card, and a golden light began to rise up around him. He smirked and raised the card aloft. "Behold the Heart of Power, and using it I will create Knight of Kuriboh(1000/1000)!"

The shape of the deadly knight appeared, the monster that had so shocked all of them when he dueled Kirani. "According to all the effects in play it gains fourteen hundred attack. Of course then it's own effect automatically doubles its power! Already it has forty-eight hundred!"

The aura of the monster started to grow, showing that its power was picking up. "Oh I'm far from finished! Reveal face down card, Defusion! I'll split Ultima Kuriboh into its three separate pieces, each with a total of fifty-six hundred attack!" The three monsters returned, nearly filling his entire field.

"Now I activate Life Spring of the Kuri Clan! I'll gain life points equal to the total power of each Kuri Monster on my field! Now I'll gain forty-thousand nine hundred life points! You don't stand a chance now!" Their last thoughts of hope fell away as he absorbed the massive amounts of energy, sending his life points skyrocketing. (TLP: 45000)

"It's going to end shortly. I play Berserker Assault! By sacrificing each of my other monsters I can let Knight of Kuriboh(4800/4800) attack once for each. That means he gets a total of nine attacks. Impressive yes?" The eight monsters shattered into pieces, granting their energies to Knight of Kuriboh to give him even more power to use against them.

"Now I use the greatest power of my Heart of Power, sacrificing ten thousand life points to set my Knight of Kuriboh's power at infinite! Remember the effect of my monsters as well. Fear the wrath of Knight of Kuriboh(2 X Infinite/2 X Infinite)!" The golden aura suffusing the creature exploded outwards, pushing back everything else inside the seal. It didn't seem like they stood a chance against such a powerful creature. (TLP: 35000)

"Knight of Kuriboh, Divinity Slash!" The monster swung its blade down, sending a stream of golden energy across the field. The goats screamed as they were burned away before it even reached them, and Ryu's monsters weren't faring any better. Nothing could last against that kind of power. Having destroyed seven monsters there were still two more attacks left, meaning one to finish off each of them.

"I refuse to die yet! Shield Wall activate, create four Shield Tokens(1000/1000) in defense mode!" Four clay soldiers appeared, holding their shields up to defend the two duelists. The energy crashed down amongst them, burning away two of them. But the attack was finished, and two remained. One to defend each of them, that was all they had.

"So be it. You may have defended yourself this turn, but you can't last for long against the ultimate monster. You can't possibly win, and not just because of that either." He folded his arms smugly, and the divine monster did the same, confident that it could handle any threat that might arise. And why not? It had twice infinite attack and defense power.

"Mankind is disunited, bickering, and fighting constantly. It will destroy itself because there can be no peace without unity. Mankind will perish, have it's will stripped away, and all that will remain is unity and order!" The fanatical way he was speaking told all. Taichi truly believed everything he was saying.

Ryu closed his eyes, and then opened them after on deep breath. "Autsu, I want you to relinquish control to Autumn. Even if the end might come, I want to face it with her." The spirit paused for a moment, but then her features shifted into the softer and more innocent ones of the girl he had fallen for.

"Ryu, if I do die I'm glad it's at your side. I wouldn't have had it any other way." The two embraced each other, Autumn leaning her head against Ryu's chest. The sweet moment was interrupted by Taichi snorting in amusement.

Autumn turned a furious gaze on him and snapped a card off her deck. "You think that's funny? Well try this on for size! RAIGEKI!" A lightning bolt shot down from the clouds, and blasted away Taichi's field. The light was so bright that everything was blurry for several seconds as they readjusted to the true day, which was dimming as it wore on.

"Idiot. Knight of Kuriboh cannot be destroyed by such a paltry effect, because it is a divine type! In other words this monster is God of the Kuriboh! You failed, and you have no chance to survive!" The female duelist lowered her hand in disappointment and turned to Ryu, who was their last chance at survival.

With that look of confidence upon him Ryu knew that he could do this. He just had to trust in himself, believe in her as well. "I understand Autumn. Together we can conquer any opponent, so let's get this duel back on track! I activate Dark Roulette!"

"According to this card's effect each player must guess the opponent's type of top card, monster, magic, or trap. If they guess correctly that player takes two thousand damage. If they guess wrong then the other player may automatically put that card into play. If it's a monster you automatically ignore summoning cost. So go ahead, I'll guess monster for you." He shared a slight smile with Autumn, a smile of trust and oneness.

Their opponent rolled his eyes upon seeing their smile, and chose what he believed was right. "Considering how your decks have played, I think my choice is easy. Ryu, you'll draw a monster. Autumn, you'll draw a magic card. Now let's draw shall we?"

He picked up his top card and grimaced at the sight of it. He showed it to them, revealing a Kuriboh, which he promptly discarded to the cemetery. Since they were right he was hit by the damage of that card, and since they were playing as a team he took a hit from each of them. (TLP: 31000)

The two duelists smiled and snapped their cards of their decks, holding them up above their heads. A blazing red light erupted from Ryu and began to mix with the bright white light surrounded Autumn. "You couldn't have guessed right Taichi, because I've drawn Heart of Courage!"

Autumn grinned as the symbol of friendship appeared on her forehead, her power blazing around her. "And I drew the Heart of Friendship! Together we have true power, so allow us to show you the true meaning of oneness!"

They extended their cards, and the auras surged down their arms and collected around the two cards, just inches from each other. The color changed as the light mixed and it became a brilliant green color. "NO! This can't be!"

Taichi grasped hold of his power to keep himself aloft as the Seal of Orichalcos exploded into tiny pieces, taking its power with it. But that didn't matter, because he still had the Heart of Power. "I cannot be beaten by you!"

The green light dimmed slightly, allowing Taichi to see that Ryu and Autumn were holding on card together. It was a heart card, but the symbol in the center, the same one on their heads, was different. Together they announced its name. "Together we have formed the Heart of Unity!"

Still speaking with one voice the two continued their turn, green energy sweeping down upon their field. "We shall now offer up all cards on our field to the power of the Heart of Unity, joining our life points as well. Prepare to meet the instrument of your demise!" (R&ALP: 3200)

The knight was thrown bodily backwards as flame erupted from the ground, and a massive shape emerged. It towered over them, staring down at Knight of Kuriboh. "This is the weapon that will defeat you. Phoenix of Eternity(3000/3000)!"

"I don't understand this...how can you have so much power? You shouldn't be able to generate that much energy, you can't match my Heart of Power! It shouldn't be possible!" The two duelists now joined as one could see the panic in his eyes, not even registering the strength of their phoenix. All he knew was the power that they possessed.

"You can't possibly comprehend our power, because you have lost sight of mankind's truest strength. Mankind can and does unite, and when it does the power created is beyond your imagination. That is our power. Mankind's Unity!" The phoenix shrieked and its flames burned brighter than before in testament to their words.

"Now, we activate one of our creature's powers. Tears of the Phoenix at a cost of 1500 life points! This will revive monsters from our cemetery so long as they exist there, and it shall revive them with a ten percent power increase." Tears dripped to the ground, and light blazed up, allowing monsters to arise. Taichi narrowed his eyes, not knowing what they were up to. (R&ALP: 1700)

"Do you understand Taichi? So long as there continue to be monsters in the cemetery our Phoenix of Eternity will revive them. So now we shall unite their power together with this. Brave Attack! All of our monsters will attack yours until they combine together with enough power to defeat it!" The reforming monsters began launching themselves at the Knight of Kuriboh, each being struck down in turn. But when one fell another immediately took its place, and soon Knight of Kuriboh was being constantly bombarded by monsters.

Taichi realized all in one moment exactly what was happening. "No...I see it now! Because Tears of the Phoenix is a constant ability every time one of your monsters dies fighting mine it gets revived. Brave Attack is a normal magic card, so its effect will remain until you can't attack anymore or until my monster is dead. So you'll infinitely attack me to destroy me infinitely powerful creature!"

The attacks slowed as Knight of Kuriboh fell to its knees, cracks running along its armor. Golden energy surged beneath it, and the phoenix above shrieked in satisfaction. The mighty warrior that had been Taichi's ultimate weapon had been felled. "You are defeated Taichi. Without your ultimate weapon you are nothing!"

His eyes filled with rage the blue eyed teen snapped at them in response. "Fools! When Knight of Kuriboh goes so does Heart of Power! When Heart of Power is destroyed, it takes everything with it! So say goodbye to your Heart of Unity, and with it your own Phoenix!"

The knight shattered, spraying the field with golden light, creating a miniature dome that covered up everything. After several moments it shrunk down, revealing the three duelists standing alone on an empty field. "When Heart of Power leaves the game I also lose half my life points." (TLP: 15500, RLP: 850, ALP: 850)

Ryu and Autumn stared at each other in shock, now once again separate people. The experience of having been one was amazing, but now it was over. "Well, when Phoenix of Eternity leaves the game all cards in our cemeteries, hands, and decks are shuffled back together. So each of us is left with an empty field and an empty hand."

Autumn nodded and gestured to the floor, which was regular, not having any sort of emblem on it. "Since Heart of Unity blew away your Seal of Orichalcos its power was completely broken. Your card is blank now and useless, so you can't take our souls even if you did win the duel."

Taichi grimaced and tossed aside a now blank magic card that had once been the Seal of Orichalcos. But slowly his grimace faded, and a smirk took its place. "Can't take your souls? Did you think I'd be possessed by an evil spirit for months and not pick up a few things?"

Darkness began to flow in around them, covering them in it. A black dome formed, and the three duelists felt a bitter cold reaching down into their very bones. "With the power of a Darkness Game I can and will take your souls! Prepare for your end!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: That's right, one more chapter in this duel. Things are heating up once again! Can Ryu and Autumn survive the Darkness Game and defeat Taichi? Find out next time! And boy do I feel like a cheesy commercial!

Time Mage: If you kill me, that means no more story.

The White Mage: Tut tut. I'm not so obvious as that. Plus Kuriboh can't be discarded to negate effect damage, only battle damage during the opponent's battle phase.

WolfGeneral: Yes, fear the cuteness! Fear! Holds up Mesmeric Kuriboh Plushy The plushy tells you to fear!

VoidTemplar: Just because he didn't lose there doesn't mean he won't. Still one more chapter to go to find that out.

Original Cards

Taichi: Damage Redux, Halt Play, Kuri General, Kuri Defender, King Kuriboh, Song of the Kuri Clan, Blue Eyed Kuri Dragon, Cyborg Kuriboh, Ultima Kuriboh, Heart of Power, Knight of Kuriboh, Berserker Assault, Life Spring of the Kuri Clan

Autumn: Barrel Dragon EX, Call of the Haunted(monster version), Heart of Friendship, Heart of Unity, Phoenix of Eternity

Ryu: Tri-Horn Knight, Banner of the Tri-Horn, Union Task Force, Desperate Defense, Dark Roulette, Heart of Courage, Heart of Unity, Phoenix of Eternity

Anime Original Cards

Ryu: Ruby Dragon, Shield Wall, Brave Attack

Taichi: Kuribablyon, Kuribi, Kuribe, Kuribu, Kuriba


	22. A Final Stand

Author's Notes: Witness the third and final part of this duel! FEAR THE CUTENESS!

_**Chapter Twenty-One: A Final Stand**_

_The attacks slowed as Knight of Kuriboh fell to its knees, cracks running along its armor. Golden energy surged beneath it, and the phoenix above shrieked in satisfaction. The mighty warrior that had been Taichi's ultimate weapon had been felled. "You are defeated Taichi. Without your ultimate weapon you are nothing!"_

_His eyes filled with rage the blue eyed teen snapped at them in response. "Fools! When Knight of Kuriboh goes so does Heart of Power! When Heart of Power is destroyed, it takes everything with it! So say goodbye to your Heart of Unity, and with it your own Phoenix!" _

_The knight shattered, spraying the field with golden light, creating a miniature dome that covered up everything. After several moments it shrunk down, revealing the three duelists standing alone on an empty field. "When Heart of Power leaves the game I also lose half my life points." (TLP: 15500, RLP: 850, ALP: 850)_

_Ryu and Autumn stared at each other in shock, now once again separate people. The experience of having been one was amazing, but now it was over. "Well, when Phoenix of Eternity leaves the game all cards in our cemeteries, hands, and decks are shuffled back together. So each of us is left with an empty field and an empty hand."_

_Autumn nodded and gestured to the floor, which was regular, not having any sort of emblem on it. "Since Heart of Unity blew away your Seal of Orichalcos its power was completely broken. Your card is blank now and useless, so you can't take our souls even if you did win the duel."_

_Taichi grimaced and tossed aside a now blank magic card that had once been the Seal of Orichalcos. But slowly his grimace faded, and a smirk took its place. "Can't take your souls? Did you think I'd be possessed by an evil spirit for months and not pick up a few things?"_

_Darkness began to flow in around them, covering them in it. A black dome formed, and the three duelists felt a bitter cold reaching down into their very bones. "With the power of a Darkness Game I can and will take your souls! Prepare for your end!"_

Taichi flipped his next card up so to view it, and then snarled as he slammed it down onto his deck. A glowing form appeared, and was soon revealed as a Kuriboh with angel's wings. "Meet the light half of Kuriboh, Hane Kuriboh(300/200)! Wing Strike!"

Hane Kuriboh flapped its wings, sending a heavy gust at Autumn. She was pushed backwards by the wind, and eventually dropped to her butt. She scowled and rubbed her backside, which was sore from the fall. "It may not be much damage, but you barely have any life points anyways, so it's all I need!" (ALP: 550)

He drew another card from Supply Lines, and then it was on to Autumn. She stared at her deck, knowing that this was her chance. If she drew something useless it was over. _'Come on top deck...give me what I need!'_

She slid the card off her deck and look at it. She put it into her disk, and then drew another card from her deck. "I can't do anything but set a card, so I'm done for now."

Ryu looked down at the gauntlet on his fist and closed his eyes for a moment. _'Come on deck, show me some love.'_

He smirked at his draw, and declared his move. "I've managed to draw a kick ass monster to fight back with, so here it goes. Diamond Soldier(1800/1600) in attack mode!" A human wearing shiny diamond armor now stood in front of him, gripping a heavy bladed sword.

"Time to get rid of Hane Kuriboh. DIAMOND BLADE!" The soldier raised his blade and swung it at the angelic creature, sending dozens of shards of diamond at it. The Hane Kuriboh squealed and tried to dodge, but it was ripped apart but the shards.

"You destroyed my Hane Kuriboh, but so what? No damage can be dealt when Hane Kuriboh dies in battle, and I can't take any damage the turn it goes to the cemetery." Taichi let a crooked smile touch his features, and the light in his eyes flared up. But it wasn't the a normal light, it was distorted, showing his true nature.

"I don't care if I hurt you or not right there, because I've got the stronger monster. Your Kuri Clan may be dangerous, but not without support. Since you're top decking like the rest of us you don't have a chance of getting any support to strengthen your creatures. Meaning we have the real advantage here." He shoved a card into his disk, which appeared in front of him, and then ended his turn.

Their opponent pressed a button on his Duel Pod, and they watched as his field slot opened up. "I may not have the Seal of Orichalcos anymore, but I do have a useful field card. I activate Kuri Nesting Hole!"

The darkness around him warped, changing shape until the field card took form. It was a dark hole with grass growing around it, nothing complex. The only thing that made it stand apart from a normal hole in the ground were the big blinking eyes inside it. "This field card grants every Kuri Clan member a bonus of two hundred attack and defense points."

He snapped his fingers, and a form jumped out of the hole, bouncing out to stand in front of him. It was none other than the cuddly form of a brown furred Kuriboh(300/200). "Each turn I can produce a Kuriboh Token which doesn't count towards my monster zones. These tokens can be used for sacrifice."

Taichi raised the remaining card in his hand, and slapped it down on his Duel Pod. "Speaking of which, I sacrifice it for Kuri Dragon(1900/1500)!" The little furball vanished, and a long-necked furry dragon flapped its way out of the cave. It was a very unimpressive monster, looking just as cute and cuddly as the original Kuriboh.

"Since you haven't experienced this monster and weren't there for Kirani's duel, I'll explain it's effect. It gains one hundred attack and defense for each monster with 'Kuri' in it's name on the field. That counts itself, so with the field card bonus it now has twenty-three hundred attack!" In response to the power boost the dragon roared...or at least it tried to. It came out more like a semi-ferocious meow.

Ryu sweat-dropped, uncertain whether he should be afraid of a creature like that. "Is...is every single monster in your deck this idiotically cute?"

Taichi's response left no room for argument. "Yes."

The teen sweat-dropped again, this time because Autumn's eyes had stars in them again. She was smitten by the cute little dragon. Ryu groaned and placed his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth. "Why did it have to be cutesy monsters? WHY! You're a freaking villain! Show a little manliness damn it!"

"Manliness? I've said it already, I'm not a mere man! I won't brook anyone who says otherwise, so Kuri Dragon, blast Autumn and drain her life points!" Kuri Dragon opened its jaws wide, looking like it was yawning. A cute little puff of smoke came out, forming a bow and arrow. The smoke bow pulled back on the string, and the arrow shot out.

"I'm not letting my girlfriend die at the hands of a stupid cartoon joke! Diamond Soldier, block the attack!" The warrior jumped in the way and took the full force of the arrow to its chest. But considering it was made of smoke, all the full force did was dissipate against its diamond armor.

"This will be funny." Taichi grinned as Diamond Soldier inspected itself to see if there was any injury. It gave itself a once-over, and after deciding that nothing was wrong it turned its attention back to the field. What it discovered then was a smaller version of Kuri Dragon crouched at its feet.

The dragon was staring up at Diamond Soldier with huge cute watery eyes. Hardened warrior though he was Diamond Soldier couldn't help but smile at how adorable it was. As the soldier began to reach out to pet the dragon, Ryu understood what was about to happen. "Oh hell...Diamond Soldier, get out of there!"

Before the words got through the dragon's demeanor changed from cute to fearsome, and it snatched at the arm with its tongue. In one motion it tossed the soldier into the air and then grew in size, becoming big enough to catch the soldier in its mouth and swallow it hole. Taichi smirked at this development, obviously amused. "See? The power of cuteness." (RLP: 450)

"Power of cuteness huh? Well here's a newsflash for you. When Diamond Soldier dies in battle I can special summon a jeweled dragon from my hand or deck to the field. So I special summon Emerald Dragon(2400/1400)!" Appearing in the soldier's place was a large green dragon, bigger even than Kuri Dragon. It was easily the strongest monster on the field.

With nothing left to do it was Autumn's turn, and she had two cards to work with this time. "I set another card face down. Then I summon Pete, Repete(1000/1000) in defense mode. End!" Her monster consisted of two men in fancy hats, laughing and joking with each other, telling stupid jokes.

Ryu drew his own card, hoping to take advantage of his monster's superior power and go on the offensive for real. His next card told him that he could do so. "I summon Masked Dragon(1400/1100)!"

A long-necked dragon with a weird masked face stepped up beside the much larger Emerald Dragon, both ready to enter battle. "I'll attack your monster with Emerald Dragon and then go direct with Masked Dragon. Emerald Flare and Spark Burst!" A green wave of flame burned away Kuri Dragon, and the following barrage of sparks depleted some of Taichi's life points. (TLP: 13900)

"I'll set one card face down, and that's it. But next turn my monsters will be coming after you, so be prepared!" He grinned, realizing that even with the difference in life points they really did have a chance to beat Taichi. After all, a bunch of direct attacks would still do him in.

As soon as Taichi started his turn a Kuriboh jumped out of the nesting hole, giving him another token to use in whatever way he happened to want. "Time to create the ultimate defense. I play Multiply, sacrificing my lone Kuriboh Tokens to produce Kuriboh Tokens until I have no more monster zones available. But since they no longer take up monsters zones...I have an infinite defense!"

The Kuriboh began to multiply itself, becoming two, then four, then eight, and so on until there were untold thousands of them. Autumn grinned and pressed a button on her disk, causing one of her cards to flip up. "I activate Magic Jammer, and discard my one card to negate Multiply. That means you sacrificed your only monster for nothing."

The thousands of Kuriboh vanished as quickly as they had appeared, and Autumn slid her card into her cemetery. It had been well worth the loss of even that good card. Her opponent wasn't happy about that though. "Bitch...you'll pay for that. Activate Payment of Debt!"

Autumn grinned again and motioned to her monster. "Not so fast. I'm going to use Pete, Repete's effect and pay five hundred life points to use Magic Jammer's effect to negate your Payment of Debt!" Pete and Repete clapped their hands together, and the arcane symbol of Magic Jammer appeared between them, sending up a smoke that canceled out Taichi's card. (ALP: 50)

"No...you'll pay for that soon enough you little bitch! Just wait!" Unable to make any other moves with no cards in his hand he had to end his turn. Of course he got a new card, but that wouldn't help him now. Not without anything in play to protect himself.

Now that it was her turn the young duelist pressed another button on her disk, and an old man appeared in front of her, holding two bottles. "I activate my set card, Poison of the Old Man, to gain twelve hundred life points. Then I pay five hundred of those to use Pete, Repete's effect and activate it again to gain another twelve hundred." (ALP: 1950)

"I'll set a card face down. Now Pete, Repete will attack you directly!" The two men clapped their hands together, and a circle formed between them. They sent it flying at Taichi, who stopped it with a gust of wind, preventing himself from getting hurt. (TLP: 12900)

Ryu appreciated Autumn's head, but this was his turn, and he was going to do some real damage. Especially considering the cards he had in his hand. "I summon Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)!"

A beautiful blue dragon flew down and settled itself between Emerald Dragon and Masked Dragon, glaring balefully at Taichi. "Now I activate Monster Reborn and call back Diamond Soldier(1800/1600)!"

With the diamond armored warrior once again on the field Ryu had an army of four monsters, each one with an open path to Taichi's life points. He was going to take advantage of that. "Time to show you our power. Emerald Flare! Spark Burst! Sapphire Flare! Diamond Blade!"

A barrage of attacks slammed into Taichi, dropping him to the ground. He grimaced, feeling the pain of the attacks. Smoke was curling up off his body, and his armored body suit looked a bit ragged. "I'm far from done, so don't think you've beaten me yet!" (TLP: 5400)

"I never claimed you were done. But you will be soon enough, and I can wait patiently for that." Now Ryu's turn was over, a turn he was satisfied. He had cut Taichi down to nearly his starting level, which was impressive considering how high his life points had been previously.

Taichi smirked and slipped a card onto his disk, then flipped around the last card in his hand. It was a man raising his hands to the darkening sky above, and a ray of light was shining down upon him. "Since it's the only card in my hand I can use this. Twilight Renewal to draw five cards!"

With a whole new set of options Taichi had everything he needed to work with. This was what Ryu had hoped wouldn't happen. So long as Taichi was top decking they had an overwhelming chance of success, but with this...things changed. "Hmmm...good for me...bad for you."

"Before I make any other move, how about I reveal the card I have face down? Warpath!" His card flipped, and a group of tanks materialized in front of Taichi. They rolled forwards, brushing past each of the monsters on the field and trampling over the magic and traps. In seconds they were gone.

"Warpath destroys all magic and trap cards placed on the field, but luckily that won't include my field card. In addition it will deal two hundred damage per destroyed card to the controller of those cards." The two duelists winced, particularly Ryu, as they took the hit to their life points. This left Ryu incredibly vulnerable to an attack. (ALP: 1750, RLP: 50)

"Now, Kuri Nesting Hole will produce another Kuriboh for me!" His token jumped onto the field, bouncing around and squeaking jubilantly. Taichi smiled and rubbed its fur affectionately.

"Don't worry little Kuriboh, soon these disgusting creatures you see before you will perish. But for now...I end my turn." Despite his simple words he took greater action, sliding all but one card from his hand onto his Duel Pod, giving him a huge advantage in the defensive position.

Autumn began her turn by picking up her monster and shoving it into the cemetery. "I sacrifice my Pete, Repete. That lets me summon E2 Blowback Dragon(2400/2100)!" Similar to the original version this was a Blowback Dragon with a barrel that looked like it was a plasma pistol, not a revolver.

"Just like its former self E2 Blowback Dragon lets me flip three coins. If I get two heads I can destroy one card on your field, but if I get three I can destroy two. So let's see what my luck is like." Three digital coins went sailing into the air, falling down one by one to reveal their results.

Taichi snickered as three tails were seen. "It appears that you don't have an ounce of luck after all. Doesn't bode well for you, does it?"

She grimaced and glanced at the other card in her hand. Unfortunately it was of no use to her, and now all she had to work with was her machine. _'This is bad. With all of those magic and trap cards he has it's too dangerous to just recklessly attack, especially with as few life points as we have. I'll just have to hope for better luck next turn.'_

"Ryu, take over. There's nothing else I can do right now." He nodded and drew his next card, just as she drew hers. Right now they had to focus on getting rid of those traps. There was absolutely no room for mistakes in this duel.

"Autumn...I can't do as much as I would have liked. I will however build up an attack force. Sacrifice Masked Dragon and Diamond Soldier to summon Tri-Horned Dragon(2850/2650)!" The two monsters turned into energy, providing the power needed to bring the large blue dragon into the fray.

"I've got some serious firepower building up now, so once I get a chance to go after your life points I'll easily be able to finish you off. Just wait Taichi, I'm going to be the one to beat you in this duel!" He drew his card to end his turn, returning control of the duel to their opponent. It was wait and see, now was the see part.

"Oh wow...this is sure exciting. I get another Kuriboh, and then I'll summon a Kuriboh(300/200) in defense mode." Two identical furballs popped out of the hole, giving Taichi a total of three monsters. He then yawned and drew another card, finishing off his turn.

"Taichi, I've just drawn the card that can turn this duel around! I activate Polymerization!" Autumn picked up E2 Blowback Dragon from her disk and sent it to cemetery, then followed it up by flipping around another card in her hand. It was Barrel Dragon EX, and she sent it to the cemetery as well.

"By combining Barrel Dragon EX and E2 Blowback Dragon I can create Gatling Dragon EX(2900/2100)!" A giant monstrosity of a machine rolled out onto the field. Had they not been in a Darkness Game the thing's size would have caused it to smash through the ceiling above their hands.

The actual body of the machine was barely visible, covered up by protruding missile hatches and plasma barrels. Its primary weapons were three huge gatling guns attached to its arms and its nose, and a humming sound could be heard as it charged up. "Taichi, this is my strongest monster! Not just by attack, but by effect as well, and I'll show you why!"

"Just like all the past forms of this monster I can once per turn flip three coins. Let's find out what I get." Again the three giant coins appeared and were tossed into the air. Only this time they came spinning down and landed face-up, each one on heads. That was three heads, and Autumn cheered at seeing the result.

"Gatling Dragon EX destroys one card on the field for each heads result I get. If there are only three cards counting itself it and I got this result it would destroy itself. But since you've so kindly piled up cards on the field I can devastate them. Three heads means I can destroy three of your magic and trap cards!" The mechanized dragon lowered its gatling weapons, bringing them to bare on Taichi's set cards. With this assault she would be able to drop his number of cards to just one.

"Gatling Dragon EX, GATLING ANNIHILATION!" The monster let loose with every single one of the various weapons on its body. A barrage of missiles and plasma fire rained down on Taichi's field, covering it in a reddish-blue glow caused by her advanced weaponry.

Autumn's delight turned to shock as all the gathered energy was pulled into one pinpoint. One of Taichi's traps was face up, but because of the energy being absorbed into it she couldn't see what it was. "Some creatures, like that monstrosity of yours, simply don't deserve to exist. In cases like that it sometimes requires divine intervention to deal with the problem."

The energy around his trap vanished, showing her what it was. But she didn't recognize the card. "Your foolish use of your monsters effect becomes its very demise! Its effect triggered my trap card called Divine Wrath! It costs one card from my hand, but the results are worth it."

He snagged a card from his hand and shoved it into his cemetery slot. Then he pointed a finger up above them, where a whole was opening in the darkness. Gatling Dragon EX creaked its heads to look up as well, and was caught by a bolt of energy that shot down from the opening. "NO! My machine!"

Taichi sneered as the mechanical dragon exploded into thousands of pieces, becoming nothing but scrap metal. "Divine Wrath can be used whenever the opponent activates a monster effect, and it allows me to negate that effect and destroy your monster. So your best hope of victory just sent itself to hell!"

With no other moves left available to her Autumn couldn't continue. She stared at the cemetery part of her disk and grimaced, giving a silent apology to her monsters for failing them. _'We'll get Taichi, I promise that. He won't get away with this.'_

Now that it was his turn Ryu felt responsible for continuing his promise of creating a force capable of ripping through Taichi. The best part was, he had exactly what he needed to accomplish his task. "Isn't today just a day for fusions? I'll also activate Polymerization!"

Two distinct monsters appeared on the outside of the energy vortex. A massive white dragon with dark blue eyes, and a white armored knight on top of a slim bluish dragon. "I combine together Blue Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500) and Paladin of White Dragon(1900/1200) to create the strongest monster my deck can produce!"

The monsters joined in the vortex, and emerged with very little difference. All that had changed was that the paladin was no longer sitting on the back of the small dragon, but rather on the back of the mighty Blue Eyes. "This is Paladin of Blue Eyes White Dragon(3500/3000)!"

"My Paladin shares something in common with the effect of his former self. He can instantly destroy face down monsters without them flipping. But unlike his former self he has a new ability. Any monster he destroys is removed from the game!" As emphasis the Blue Eyes roared, and sent a blaze of white energy into the darkness above them.

"Considering that with three set cards remaining I'd have to be stupid to attack right now, I guess I'm done. But I'll be coming for you as soon as we get rid of those trap cards." With his strongest monster on the field Ryu was certain that they could defeat Taichi. They could do this, they could win!

"Blah blah blah. That's all I'm hearing from you two idiots! Now I set card face down and end my own turn." He now had four Kuribohs with the new one produced by his nest, and once again he had four cards set. He seemed utterly confident, but there was something strange about his confidence.

Autumn gulped as she realized exactly what was going on. _'This isn't good. He's waiting for something very specific and I think it has to do with those Kuriboh tokens of his. But why is he so hell bent on protecting them? Is he hoping to create King Kuriboh again, or is it something else?'_

"I summon Royal Library(0/2000) in defense mode. Then I'll place two cards down behind it for protection." A massive library formed itself around her, giving her a decent defense. With that and her two set cards she would be safe for the moment. But there was no telling what Taichi would unleash, so they had to be careful.

Ryu grinned and slipped a card onto his disk immediately. "I activate my rarest magic card, Diabolic Servitude! This will let me revive one monster and equip this card to it, so here comes the Blue Eyes White Dragon once again!"

The huge white dragon took its place, giving him five dragons of great strength. Even his weakest dragon, Sapphire Dragon, had more attack strength than most basic monsters. "The only downside to Diabolic Servitude is that if the monster revived dies then it is removed from the game, but then it returns to my hand. Of course if it is destroyed then the monster is removed as well."

The dragonic-warrior duelist knew what his next best move would be. It wouldn't give him a monster as an attack force, but he did know what else it could do. _'Sorry Blue Eyes for this, but your sacrifice won't be in vain. It'll help Autumn and I to win this duel.'_

"I set one card face down. End!" He slipped his card onto his disk, right behind the Blue Eyes White Dragon. His plan for it would start as soon as Taichi drew his next card.

The moment their opponent had taken a card off his deck Ryu was going into action. "I've been in danger for way to long, and this card will pull me out of the red zone and let me take a bit more risk in my next turn. Altar for Tribute!"

A white altar formed beneath the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and glowing light began to surround it. "Altar for Tribute lets me sacrifice one monster on my field. I can then gain that monster's attack points as life points. So by sacrificing the Blue Eyes White Dragon I get back almost all of my life points!"

His dragon vanished without a trace, bouncing Diabolic Servitude back to his hand. Of course the life points didn't go missed, as they gave him a renewed lease on this duel. It was exactly what he needed, even if it removed his Blue Eyes from play. "Now I'm back in the game." (RLP: 3050)

Taichi, the Knight of Air, wasn't even paying attention. He was looking at one card in his hand with a very focused look. Ryu and Autumn now saw that something was stirring in his eyes, something darker than normal. "Are you going to take your turn or not Taichi?"

He brought his eyes up to meet theirs, and they clearly saw the deranged look there. A ferocious grin broke out on his face, making him look absolutely feral. "My Kuri Nesting Hole is going to give me the last piece I need to finish you all off once and for all! I'm going to kill each of you in just a few turns!"

Autumn knew that she had been right about the Kuriboh tokens when a fifth joined the other four. Now was the time when they would find out what he had planned for them. "This card, this deadly card that I hold...it requires that I tribute five monsters on the field with 'Kuri' in their name. I'll do so!"

His Kuribohs shattered into dust, leaving his field empty except for the set cards. But he didn't seem to care on bit. "Time to get psycho! I summon Psychotic Devil Kuriboh(2500/2500)!"

A dark form burst out of the nesting hole, and dropped heavily down on the ground. The form had obviously been a Kuriboh at one point, but it was now thirty feet tall and had spines growing out of its back. Animalistic teeth like the dark Kuribablyon's were visible, and blood dripped from them. Its fur was jet black, marred only by patches of dried blood.

"Since I don't want its attack blocked, I'll have it attack Sapphire Dragon! And don't even try to block it, because it can't be touched by magic and trap cards!" The massive monstrosity of a Kuriboh roared out its sickening call, slashing the blue dragon apart with its teeth. It consumed the creature in massive gulps, doing extra damage because of the attack boost from the nesting hole. (RLP: 2250)

"Whenever one of my opponent's monsters is destroyed I can increase my monsters attack and defense points by five hundred. With all of its abilities my Psychotic Devil Kuriboh(3200/3200) is too much for you to handle!" He laughed hysterically, that deranged look bright in his eyes. It was like he was having a mental breakdown or something.

"Shit...the only one here psychotic is you!" Ryu's words went unheard, because Taichi was too busy laughing at them. Ryu had seen people act this way before, people who had seen too much violence, too much blood. They broken down and went crazy, or curled up into a ball and never moved again. This was psychosis.

"Autumn, we've got to take him down while he's out of it. Let's finish him!" She accepted this and drew her card, knowing that she had to do what she could to help out. She had to clear a path for Ryu to destroy that monster the only way they could. In battle.

"Reverse card open! Dust Tornado!" A whirlwind of dust and dirt shot out of her trap card, speeding towards Taichi. It collided with one of his four face down cards, reducing the number to three. He still didn't seem to notice, all he seemed to care about was laughing and his deadly monster.

"I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight(1800/1600) in defense mode! End turn for now." The iron knight appeared inside the library, crouching with his bladed arm held in front of him. Anything that attacked him would get the business end of his weapon in return.

Ryu grimaced, knowing that this was his one and only chance. "Waiting in this situation is stupid! Paladin of Blue Eyes White Dragon, attack his Kuriboh and blow it away! Prominence Burst Stream!" The knight slashed with his sword, sending a blue beam of energy out to spiral around with the Blue Eyes' normal attack.

Suddenly Taichi's eyes snapped forwards, and his laughter ceased. He smirked and depressed a button on his disk, causing one of his face down cards to flip up. "Losers! Just like you fell into the trap that was this building you fell into the trap of thinking me completely out of it!"

The two duelists gulped, realizing that they had been had. Now was Taichi's time to pay them back for that foolhardy attitude. "Angry Kuriboh Swarm will tear apart your monster and deduct life points from you, one hundred for each level!"

A stream of endless Kuriboh exploded from the Kuri Nesting Hole. It descended upon the Paladin and ripped him apart, tearing the Blue Eyes to pieces as well. Blood chunks fell to the ground as all that was left of Ryu's strongest monster. "That is the price for arousing the rage of the Kuri Clan!" (RLP: 1250)

"That's not all! Since one of your monsters was destroyed Psychotic Devil Kuriboh gains more points, reaching thirty-seven hundred!" The behemoth roared, increasing in size as its power was boosted. It was not out of reach of even the strongest of Ryu's monsters.

"Fine! I activate Diabolic Servitude to revive Paladin of Blue Eyes White Dragon in defense mode. I switch all of my other monsters to defense mode as well. Then I add a monster in defense mode." All of his other dragons shifted into defense, and a reversed card appeared next to them. It was his Masked Dragon, and its ability would give him at least a little bit more defense for a while.

"I set a card face down. Take your turn Taichi, but don't take forever." He felt a tightness enter his shoulders, and realized that he was getting nervous again. The duel wasn't going their way anymore, and this new monster of his still might have unknown abilities.

"I can feel your fear. You're afraid of my deadly creature. Well you should be, because he will be the cause of your demise! Allow me to tell you another reason why he's going to finish you. Because he has the ability to deal damage through defense!" Ryu knew it had more abilities, and now its massive strength was enhanced by a trample effect.

"I continue by summoning my Rabid Kuriboh(300/200) who gets the bonus, raising him to five hundred attack points!" His newest monster was just like a regular Kuriboh, only patches of its fur were missing and it was drooling and twitching wildly.

"Time to finish this. Attack Gearfried the Iron Knight!" The behemoth roared and charged forwards at the knight. Gearfried readied his weapon, despite knowing that he stood no chance against such a powerful monster. Very few creatures did.

"No way Taichi! I activate Attack Directing Armor, and attach it to my own Paladin of Blue Eyes White Dragon! It may die, but it the attack certainly won't finish me off!" The Kuriboh's attention was turned towards the dragon, and it set upon it, ripping the dragon's belly open with its teeth. By killing the dragon it got another power boost, rising to forty-two hundred. (RLP: 1550)

"How foolish. Rabid Kuriboh, use your effect and attack Autumn directly!" The little demon darted right past her monsters and bit down on her leg, making her scream in pain as its sharp little teeth damaged the flesh. Unable to support herself without the damaged leg she fell to one knee. (ALP: 1250)

"I'll reverse one card and end my turn! As I said, you two only have a few more turns left to survive!" It truly seemed like he was right, with his monster having so much power and his other monster being able to attack directly. There was no way to know how they might win this.

Autumn picked up her next card and then slowly slid it onto her disk. Unfortunately she knew quite well that it wasn't going to help her. _'Morale Boost, not exactly what I needed. Another bluff won't stop him, not with that effect of his monster. I can't defend myself in this next turn...'_

Not knowing anything else to do she passed the turn to Ryu, who was equally as nervous as she was. He looked his hand of two cards over and saw that with four monsters on the field he had but one option there. "I use Diabolic Servitude to revive Diamond Solider in defense mode, and then I'll set a card face down."

With his turn over, it was once again back to Taichi who had every single advantage. There was nothing, so it seemed, that they could do to prevent being defeated. Everything was coming down to these final turns.

The moment his turn started Ryu had his trigger ready. "I play Scaring Roar! This card prevents you from being able to declare an attack this turn. That means we're safe for the moment."

Taichi raised an eyebrow, and then glanced at one of his five cards. Not only that but he had multiple face down cards that he could still use. Three of those and five cards in hand. Oh how easy this would be. "H about I make a Kuriboh token?"

A new Kuriboh appeared, boosted by his field card. Of course it wasn't his intent to truly use that card, not in the way they thought. "I begin by activating Supreme Genocide Bomb! At a cost of fifteen hundred life points I can destroy both of your hands and field. Of course I have no battle phase this turn when playing this card, but thanks to Scaring Roar that doesn't matter."

Ryu and Autumn cried out as a massive explosion blew them backwards, clearing their field of monsters. Taichi smirked as energy poured off their fields into his mighty Psychotic Devil Kuriboh, increasing its size once again. "Since seven of your monsters total were destroyed my monster gains thirty-five attack and defense points, setting him at seventy-seven hundred for each!"

"Now, another effect of my Psychotic Devil Kuriboh activates. If I don't attack with him I automatically deal five hundred damage to the opponent. So each of you now takes that damage!" His opponents gulped as their life points trickled down just a little bit more, giving them even less breathing room. (ALP: 750, RLP: 1050)

"Now, let's get interesting shall we? I activate two cards from my hand, and one from my field. Kuri Time Bomb times three! This lets me sacrifice a Kuriboh with 1000 or less attack to deal its attack in damage to you. Meaning my three measly Kuribohs, the two tokens and Rabid Kuriboh, will now take a total of fifteen hundred life points from you!" He smirked and watched as his monsters raced towards the two other duelists.

Two of the creatures attached themselves to Ryu while one attached itself to Autumn. They started to glow, and seconds later they exploded, burning the two of them. "A pity that my Kuribohs didn't decide to all attach to Ryu, or two attach to Autumn. Then both of you would be gone, but I prefer to give them free reign when sacrificing their lives." (ALP: 250, RLP: 50)

"Now it's time to see if you fools can top deck yourselves to victory. Show me that power of yours why don't you?" He folded his arms, absolutely certain of his victory. After all, no single card they could draw would save them now. He just had too much power for them to handle...his Kuribohs had too much power for them.

Autumn picked up her top card, and then placed it into her disk. "That's my move. Ryu, go ahead and take you turn." Taichi snickered at seeing her only able to place a single card. Since no trap or magic card could stop Psychotic Devil Kuriboh it was safe to say that he had already won.

Ryu drew his next card and blanched at the sight of it. _'Serpent Night Dragon? Damn...anything but this would have been nice!' _He gulped and slid another card off his deck to end his turn, and saw only another high level monster. Nothing to help out.

Seeing his victory at hand Taichi didn't even bother to draw a card, or to produce a Kuriboh token. He just snapped his fingers, and two dark fireballs appeared in the jaws of Psychotic Devil Kuriboh. "I think I'll sacrifice my monsters attack this turn to deal five hundred damage to each of you. I've won!"

The fireballs erupted from its mouth, going careening towards the two duelists. With as few life points as they had the damage would eliminate them both, but Autumn had other things in mind. "I activate Hallowed Life Barrier! By discard the one card in my hand I can negate your damage!"

Taichi sneered and gestured to the card she held, and responded in smug tones. "I see how it is now. Hallowed Life Barrier can only negate on instance of damage, so you're using it to save yourself. Just as I thought, like the rest of mankind you cannot unite! That is why you shall fall!"

Autumn turned away from Taichi and faced Ryu, a bright smile on her face. "Ryu...I'm not a true duelist. I've never had any great talent, I've just had powerful combos. But you...you have the true heart of a duelist, you're the won with the strength to defeat Taichi. That's why...I leave this to you."

Ryu understood what she was doing too late to stop it. The fireball heading towards him dissipated, and the second black flame collided with her stomach, picking her up and sending her flying backwards. "AUTUMN!" (ALP: 0)

"Stop being so melodramatic. If you really think you can defeat me then go ahead and take your turn. Beating me is the only way to save her, and you've got one draw to do it. If you fail, like you normally do, you'll lose her and yourself forever. If you succeed, which is unlikely, you'll be the hero. So go ahead hero, draw your card."

Ryu felt his body quaking, with anger, sadness, and fear. Anger at Taichi for doing this to them, sadness that Autumn had been taken from him like this, and fear at being unable to succeed. _'Autumn...Hinata...of everyone I've ever known I care about the two of you more than anyone else. So please, now of all times I need you. HELP ME!'_

Feeling an echo within himself he stood and turned back to face Taichi. Full of confidence he snapped a card off the top of his deck and held it out in front of him. He held it face down, not yet having looked at it. _'This is it...I felt it this time. The heart of a true duelist...this is the true power that guys like Dalin and Drake have used to win their duels! It's my power now as well!'_

He turned the card up and stared at it. His heart stopped and without realizing it he let go, dropping his three cards to the ground. They fluttered and went face-up, showing exactly what he had. His previous cards were sacrifice monsters, and the card he had drawn was a magic card.

"Brave Attack...of all things...why that? I'm sorry Autumn, I'm sorry Hinata...I failed...again." He didn't even bother to draw a card for the end of his turn, because it was already over. There was no way for him to win at this point, no way to succeed. He had failed.

Taichi smirked as he slammed down his next card, granting his monster greater power. "I knew you were a failure Ryu Shigeru! You are a nothing to me! A weak piece of human scum! But I'll grant you just a little bit of honor by obliterating you with full strength. I play Blaze of Glory, tripling my monster's attack power for the turn!"

Ryu was too numb to the world to look up as the enormous Psychotic Devil Kuriboh(23100/23100) loomed over him. _'I failed...oh god I'm so sorry...I failed. I just wasn't strong enough to beat him...'_

"Farewell weakling. Psychotic Devil Kuriboh, BLACK FLAME OF HELL!" A whirlwind of black fire slammed down on top of Ryu, stripping away the last of his life points. With his fall came the end of the Darkness Game, and two orbs of light now shimmered in front of Taichi. (RLP: 0, TLP: 3900)

Taichi stared out into the distance and extended his hands, holding out the spheres of light in supplication. "Great Lord Eikyuu, these souls, the souls of two of The Fallen, are yours." The spheres vanished, taken instantly by his lord and master, his god.

Summoning up his magic he conjured a brown cloak and flung it around himself. Then he swiftly departed the room, leaving two soulless bodies behind him. "All too easy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And there you have it. Taichi wins and Ryu and Autumn's souls are lost. To be honest this entire section of the duel I made up as I went along with no idea(not even a basic thought) of what I wanted to do. In the end it came down to a coin flip that made Ryu lose the duel like that.

WolfGeneral: Things are never easy for the good guys. It wouldn't be fun if that were the case.

VoidTemplar: Well, you got your wish. The mighty Kuriboh triumphed.

The White Mage: The real Taichi's favorite monster is Kuriboh, hence the Kuribohs. The dark spirit was using that Dark Trap Deck because it has a tendency to change up decks, so it never sticks with the same thing. Plus it's more fun that way.

Hogwarts-Knight: Wretch? You really hate Kuriboh huh? Well sorry, because they aren't done yet. After all, they are the deck of a villain.

G.O.T. Nick: Wow...you precognitive or something? Even I didn't know Taichi was going to win.

Original Cards

Ryu: Diamond Soldier, Paladin of Blue Eyes White Dragon, Diabolic Servitude

Taichi: Kuri Nesting Hole, Kuri Dragon, Payment of Debt, Twilight Renewal, Warpath, Psychotic Devil Kuriboh, Rabid Kuriboh, Angry Kuriboh Swarm, Supreme Genocide Bomb, Kuri Time Bomb, Blaze of Glory(Vaurnut's)

Autumn: Pete Repete, E2 Blowback Dragon, Barrel Dragon EX, Gatling Dragon EX

Anime Original Cards

Taichi: Hane Kuriboh

Ryu: Brave Attack


	23. Blind Vengeance

Author's Notes: Now on to the next duel.

_**Chapter Twenty-Two: Blind Vengeance**_

Taichi didn't glance to his right as a shadow on the wall emerged as the black-cloaked form of D'harim. He had gotten used to his fellow knight's special appearances. "You've finished off some of the runts I see. I did the same."

D'harim held up two ears, his trophies for his victory. By the copper colored skin of those ears Taichi guessed that D'harim had dealt with Isis and Rishid. "What of Nikolas?"

The Knight of Air pointed a finger at the ground beneath his feet, and D'harim understood. "When he has fulfilled his duty...I will be the one to crush Nikolas. Do we have an understanding?"

"Once he is useless, do as you like. I don't care. I've got my own target in mind." Without another word the two departed in their usual mode, leaving nothing in their wake. Had they remained for one moment longer they would have noticed a strange green light flitting about like a firefly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai and Kirani stopped dead when they came around the corner. About twenty feet away the wall had been blown out, and the room was exposed. Desperately they raced towards the ruined room and entered it.

In the wreckage of the room two prone forms could clearly be seen. Ryu and Autumn lay face-up on the ground, their blank eyes staring at the ceiling. Several feet away was the torn remains of the outer wall. Kirani dropped to her knees next to them and clapped her hands together, bowing briefly.

Kai turned away from the scene, and spoke as gruffly as he could. He knew this wasn't a time for sentimentality. "Your Buddha can't protect anyone from these people. What we need to focus on is finding the ones responsible for this. We've been lured into a trap, now we need to gather ourselves together and stop the knights."

She brushed her chestnut hair out of her eyes and stood, shooting Kai a dark glare. "You don't understand the concept of paying respects do you." She stomped forwards and brushed past him, deliberately knocking him out of the way with her shoulder.

Before she exited the now widened door she tossed one last comment over her shoulder. "By the way, I'm Shinto."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin's fingers blurred across the keyboard as he searched the system mainframe for any possible reference. It was doubtful that he would find anything, but there was no reason not to search. He was lucky that his naturally nimble fingers made him a faster typist, otherwise this would take longer.

He stopped briefly when he felt something in his back pocket pressing against him. He reached into the pocket and set the object on the table. His fingers slowed as his attention turned from a fruitless search to memories of the past. This object was the one link to his past outside the Icon of Osiris.

Slowly he let his hand come to a rest on it, letting his fingers trace the intricate designs. "You were the only thing I had with me when Malik found me in the desert. Do you hold secrets of my past?"

Taking up the object in a confident grip that spoke of skill that he didn't know how he would have. One swift motion and snapping sound extended it, revealing its true nature. "A switchblade, an object to cause pain, an object to kill. Have you been tainted by blood? Have I?"

A surge of feeling from the icon gave him the warning that he needed to hurl himself to the side. A massive chunk of plaster collided with the desk and ripped through it, blowing the computer into silicon fragments.

Dalin rolled his body and came up in a crouch, facing the direction that the attack had come from. What he saw was another chunk of plaster hurtling towards him. This time was different however, because he was ready.

His muscles bunched and his arm reared back, readying it for the plaster to come in range. As soon as it was he threw the punch, breaking the plaster into tiny pieces. A shower of dust rained down upon him, but he remained unharmed. "Knight of Darkness...Knight of Air...so you would be the third knight. Come out Knight of Earth."

A white cloaked form emerged from the sand. The same knight that had confronted him on two different occasions. The first time when Kai dueled Kevin, and the second time when he had defeated Rose. "I wasn't expecting a direct attack this soon. But now I'm ready."

"Ready? The only thing you should be ready for is death!" The knight made a sweeping motion with his right hand, and as it went the ground beneath his arm began to break apart. A line of the broken earth extended outwards at great speed heading straight for Dalin.

Dalin's body was conditioned to great action, so he jumped forwards and used a broken piece of flooring as a stepping stone, hurling himself at the knight. "HAAAAA!"

He swung his fist down towards the knight, but the white robed form exploded into dust right before Dalin's fist could connect. Dalin spun on his heel, swinging with his left arm as he did so to give the blow more power. His guess proved correct as his opponent was forced to dodge the strike.

Dalin knew he had to keep his enemy from disappearing again, so thinking quickly he acted. With one powerful kick he hurled a floorboard at the knight. Just as he had expected a column of earth rose from the ground to block the board. _'That's my opening!'_

Jumping towards the column of earth he wrapped his left arm around it, and used his momentum to swing him all the way around it. His sudden appearance caught the knight off guard, and his knuckles collided powerfully with the robed warrior's face.

The strength of the strike tossed the knight backwards. He bounced against the ground painfully, and when he did hit the ground again his hood fell away. Dalin stopped his advance on the warrior as he saw his suspicions confirmed. "One eye..."

His enemy picked himself up and took a hold of the top of his robe. In one motion he hurled it off, revealing his desert garb beneath. He sneered and with a flick of his wrist brought a knife into his hand. "What's wrong? Don't like your handiwork?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kirani stopped suddenly and glanced over her shoulder. Kai stopped as well, looking back to see why she had stopped. "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"

"I thought I saw something...like a light." She looked up and down the hall, searching for a sign of what she thought she had seen while running. Something like a firefly, dancing about and following them. Fireflies didn't glow a green color like that though...

"There's nothing here but us. You're just seeing things." He turned and started running again, not looking to see if she was following him. She paused for a moment more, and then she followed after Kai.

It must have been her imagination...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Intriguing." Cries of ecstasy arose with this single word. The cry came from a group of five robed figures standing in a circle around a simplistic throne. It was a throne that seemed designed for economy, designed in perfect order. It was the perfect throne of simplicity.

Clad in flowing crimson robes Eikyuu watched with farseeing eyes as the situation in the Waldorf-Astoria continued to develop. Eikyuu did not deem to notice his High Priests, for they were not his concern at the moment. Although they still had purpose, momentarily they were useless to him.

"Perhaps the situation is more fluid than I would have believed." His voice was cold and distant, it was the voice of superiority. A voice that spoke of authority, of inner knowledge that your words had greater meaning, for those listening were nothings to you.

This was the voice of a god. "Great Lord Eikyuu...we have brought for you another of the lesser Fallen. This one is unable to feel the touch of your light, to know the glory of your voice."

The priests cast a haggard looking old woman in front of his throne. She sobbed as she fell before him, unable to contain the fear and awe she felt in his presence. "Please! Please let me be!"

Eikyuu reached down and gripped her face with his white gloved fingers. The old woman sobbed harder as his fingers pressed into her cheeks and he lifted her up so that she was eye to eye with him. Her feet dangled two or three feet above the ground, attributed to his great stature.

The glowing prisms of light that were contained with the sockets of the Noh mask that served as his face met her gaze, and her sobs stopped. "This one is Fallen no longer. She has felt the light. She has known the Voice of God."

He released her with barely a notice, letting her drop painfully to the ground. He returned to his place at his throne, no longer looking at anyone in the room. His solitude was bothered by the nothing that was the old woman speaking to him. "Great Lord Eikyuu...I..."

"You understand now I see. Your body is frail, your mind is nothing, you are useless. You have no purpose, and now that you have been graced by the Light of Order you truly understand what must be done." The old woman shivered, and a fervent look appeared in her once dull eyes.

"I understand Great Lord Eikyuu. I will not disgrace your Order any further!" With a surprising degree of spryness for an elderly person she threw her body at a nearby table. She snatched up an object that rested on that table, an object set there for just such a reason.

It was a sinuous ceremonial dagger, embossed with the symbol of infinity. "I am useless...forgive me Great Lord Eikyuu!" She plunged the dagger into her stomach, and blood poured forth. Her entire body shook as the pain racked her. She was able to complete the motion, and slid the blade sideways through her belly. Her innards spilled onto the ground, and she collapsed.

The spasms of her death continued for a few minutes, but they went unnoticed by the one she had died as a first and final service to. Eikyuu had already forgotten her existence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"My handiwork? What are you talking about?" The thief sneered in response and placed a hand on the eyepatch. He peeled it away, revealing a puckered and aged wound, with a scar running down from his brow to the middle of his cheek.

"You did this to me...you ruined everything! Now I Nikolas Selket will make you suffer for every person you have harmed! Prepare for death Sumatin!" Nikolas slammed his knife into the ground, burying it up the hilt. Now that his attention was on the knife his hand fell away from the eyepatch, letting it cover up once again.

Dalin readied himself to move, drawing on some of the energies within his body. He had natural magic that he could use in this fight, and he also had the strength of the Icon of Osiris. "I don't know what you're talking about Selket."

Nick growled and pulled the knife up and up and up. The knife had become a sword, the minerals of the earth drawn into it to transform it. "LIAR! NOW DIE!"

He came at Dalin without mercy, swinging his sword without great skill, but with a great deal of rage. Dalin dodged the first swung, hopping backwards. The second swing nicked his chest, cutting a red line through his shirt.

The next swing was lower, aiming for Dalin's belly. It was also slower than the last two, not carrying the same momentum that the first two swings had. Analyzing this quickly Dalin brought his right arm down, using the palm of his hand to force the blade to the ground. Once its tip was touching the ground he kicked its hilt, breaking the blade off.

Nick literally roared at seeing his efforts thwarted, but his rage was cut off when Dalin landed a solid head butt. Blood spirted across Dalin's face as Nick's nose broke, but even that wasn't enough to keep the knight of earth down. Using the earth itself as a catapult he sent a couch flying towards Dalin.

Unable to dodge the couch Dalin was caught in the chest and had the wind knocked out of him. He hit the ground rolling, clutching his middle. Seeing his prey downed Nick followed up by pounding his foot on the floor, making the earth ripple. That ripple moved towards Dalin, and when it reached him the blonde man was sent hurtling through the air.

Dalin flipped around in the air, and came down on his feet, sliding backwards for a few seconds before he managed to kill the momentum. He took off at a sprint, trying to reach Nick as fast he could. The knight roared his rage and thrust one hand upwards at the ceiling. Chunks of plaster and stone cracked away and began raining down around them.

The debris forced Dalin to cease his attack and stop dead. He took a deep breath and snapped a card off his dueling deck. Now was the time for magic, not for force. Without looking at the card he held it up and channeled his energy through it. "DRAIN SHIELD!"

The dueling card transformed into a large shield, and with a solid grip Dalin shielded himself from the debris. Each piece that struck the shield was absorbed into it, gathering energy for Dalin. Since his focus was on the debris, Dalin barely managed to see the next attack coming.

"I won't let you live!" A spray of thousands of pebbles zipped through the air at incredible speed, propelled by Nikolas' power. Taking his attention away from the little bit of debris that was still falling from the ceiling he lowered the shield and blocked the oncoming attack.

It was because of this block that the final piece of stone caught him on the shoulder, scraping the skin and dropping him to one knee. The shield titled down, and the last barrage of pebbles pelted him, cutting into him. "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"

Dalin raised his head and held the shield up. "I refuse." He extended the shield and a beam of energy exploded out of the center, catching the knight of earth directly in the chest. Nick was blown back a dozen feet, his clothing now with a hole in the center from the attack.

Nick rose to his feet, his body shaking with the pure fury of hatred. His one eye was consumed by a deadly fire that couldn't be quenched except by death. Dalin knew that the death desired by that one eye was his own, but he didn't know the reason why. "I hate you."

The comment caught Dalin off guard. It wasn't that he hadn't realized the hatred, it was just how and when it was said. Not only that...but it was the power that was beginning to flare up around Nikolas after speaking those words. "I understand that. What I don't understand is the why."

"YOU! Back then you stripped away all that mattered to me and left me as an empty shell! In the years since I have filled myself with hatred for you. I'm steeped in it. Now that hatred will flow from me to you, and you will know the extent of my pain! I'll make you live out every second of it!" An enormous aura emerged around Nick, and the Japanese symbol for hate blazed on his forehead.

"This is my power Dalin Imaki Sumatin! MY HATE FOR YOU!" A sphere of energy expanded outwards from his body, ripping apart the ground as it went. All that was caught in its path was destroyed, and it spanned the distance between the two of them in mere seconds.

Dalin held out the Drain Shield to try and stop the attack, but it was too widespread, and too powerful. The shield cracked and shattered after just a few seconds, leaving him holding his right hand out, using the Icon of Osiris to generate a silver barrier. "I...won't...die!"

His words were lost in the noise as the two colliding energies exploded against each other. Since Dalin was so close to the explosion he was thrown backwards, his shirt half torn off. His back hit the far wall, and before he could do anything else the wall melted itself, creating shackles for his arms and legs. He was trapped.

Nick walked away and went to the desk that had the remains of the computer. He reached down and picked up the switchblade that Dalin had left there and returned to approach the angel duelist. He sneered up at the trapped duelist's form and held the knife up. "Let me tell you," Nick told him, "it's taking every bit of my will to resist the urge to slit your throat like you did to them."

Dalin's eyes widened. _'What? Like I...'_ Nick waved the knife back and forth in front of Dalin, his single eye meeting Dalin's cold green gaze. Dalin could practically feel the heat of Nick's rage.

"I've been resisting the urge since I first saw you. But I decided I might give you a chance. A chance that you didn't give the ones closest to me. But I've decided against that. You've had your chance to live. Now, there's no escape." He punched the stone holding Dalin's arm, making a thunking noise. Dalin didn't need it demonstrated, as he had already tried to break away. The bonds were too strong.

"It took me a while to think of a way to make you pay for everything you've done to me. But now I've found one." Nick grabbed Dalin by the throat and extended the switchblade. "I suppose I should do what they would do in Egypt. You know, they cut off your hand if you're caught stealing."

His knife dipped towards Dalin's trapped wrist, but then it trailed back up. "Of course it wasn't your hand that did the killing." He ran the flat side of the blade over Dalin's chest, then pressed it down. One of the edges drew blood, and Nick let it trickle down the blade, dripping down on his hand.

"It was your black heart that did it. But I have so much more in store for you. There is no way I can make you feel the pain I have felt for over five years, but I'm sure I can get pretty close. It's just like the old saying." and he raised the knife to Dalin's head, letting it come to rest right in front of him. "An eye for an eye."

Something caught his eye in that moment, something out beyond Nick. A little flickering light, flitting about like a firefly. Nick cried out in surprise as a blinding silver light expanded around Dalin, and the bonds of stone shattered. "I am not your scapegoat!"

One meaty fist slammed into the side of Nick's face, knocking him flat out on his back. Nick roared again and fired a bolt of energy from his hand. Dalin responded by firing a silver beam of light from his own hand. Once again the collision of energies created a powerful explosion. "My past is hidden in shadow, I am nothing but a fragment of what I might have been in the past."

Dalin stepped out in front of the fallen knight and extended his left arm. The duel disk clanked into position, and it lit up. "I know nothing of your pain, and I know nothing of my own. Therefore I desire the chance that you had initially wished to give me. Defeat me in a duel and I will willingly submit to any punishment you would have of me."

"Fail to defeat me, and I will not let you go unpunished for your desire for blind vengeance. I have never and will never hold myself responsible for actions that I cannot know of. So, will you accept my challenge?" While he waited for Nick to rise to his feet and to answer he was shuffling his deck, preparing himself just in case he got the answer he was hoping for.

Nick scowled, his eye burning with that hatred. The white ovoid object on his arm expanded outwards, becoming a white Duel Pod. He shuffled his own deck, and then slammed it home. Seeing this as acceptance Dalin inserted his own into its appropriate slot. "Very well Sumatin, I'll crush you in this duel. Then I will make you experience the pain that I have for so long felt!" (DLP: 4000, NLP: 4000)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is anyone there?" The soft voice remained unanswered for a moment, and lonely eyes met with a bare ceiling.

"I am. I'm surprised you woke up so soon." The first speaker weakly turned in bed to see who the person was who had responded to them. In a corner of the plush hotel room was a fairly tall man wearing a black robe. It covered all of him, but the hood wasn't drawn up at the moment.

The man turned to meet those lonely eyes, and what those eyes saw was terrifying. The man's eyes were hollow and vacant, a pale milky white like death itself. If it wasn't for that future the dark haired man would have been considered handsome. "Where am I?"

"The Waldorf-Astoria. You were brought here as bait." The man pulled up his hood, covering his face in shadow. He turned away again and faced the door, as if guarding against an attack. Yet the relaxed posture of the man said that he wasn't worried.

"Bait? I don't understand..." The speaker rose from the bed, the sheets falling down to the waist. The dark man grabbed an object off a nearby chair and tossed it over his shoulders, not watching to see if it landed on the bed or not.

"You don't need to understand. Now put that on." Two lonely eyes came to rest on the object that had been thrown. It was a shirt of some kind, with a little infinity symbol on the left breast. It also had a black bar across each shoulder.

"I feel like there's something I'm missing...something that should be with me..." Before any more words could be spoken another object was chucked onto the bed. The eyes touched it, recognizing it immediately. It was put on, and that feeling of missing something faded slightly.

"Tell me...do you know how to play Duel Monsters?" D'harim cast a glance over his shoulder at the person in the bed as he asked the question. The confused look in those eyes made him change his question.

"You might know it was Magic and Wizards or something to that effect. Duel Monsters is the more common name." A look of comprehension told him everything he needed to know. He smirked and floated an object through the shadows, letting it land on the bed. It was a large chest, and inside were hundreds if not thousands of packs of Duel Monsters cards.

"Construct a deck. I'm in the mood for a duel."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The elevator stopped abruptly, causing Kai and Kirani to lose their balance. The lights in the elevator flickered and went dead. "No! Those tremors must be causing this power outage...and now we're trapped!"

Kirani nodded in agreement, but she felt something familiar. A creeping sensation of terror gliding its way up legs to settle in the pit of her stomach. "Something is wrong...this isn't just because of the tremors."

Kai didn't know how to respond to that so he busied himself with trying to pry open the door. "There's no point in wasting time. Isis, Rishid, and Dalin are probably in danger as we speak. No need to worry about ourselves."

Kirani nodded and stepped up next to him, throwing her efforts in with his to push the door open. Together they would be able to open it, and then they would find out whether they were at a door or not. "Right, no need to worry about ourselves."

But she knew in her heart that there was every reason to worry about themselves. Something was going to happen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin spread the six cards in his hand out, looking them over carefully. He didn't even need to look specifically to know that at the moment he was at a distinct disadvantage and the duel hadn't even started. _'A horrible hand. I won't lose though, I refuse to.'_

Not being one to ever give away on of his feelings about his chances at success he kept the calm mask that was his permanent appearance. He didn't know the strategy that Nikolas used, so he could only play this out cautiously. "I will be going first Selket."

He selected one of the cards in his hand and placed it onto his disk in one of the monster zones. "I summon Neptune, Angel of Emancipation(1700/0) in attack mode." His monster shimmered into view, wearing a loose fitting golden robe. Neptune spread its dark blue wings out wide and was ready.

"Neptune won't be my only weapon. I place one card face down on the field. End Turn." His card shimmered into view, giving him both his angel and a potential defense. It was a very basic move, but it was also the best move he could perform at this moment.

Nick smirked and drew the top card from his deck. A dark light began to surround him, and a familiar symbol arose on his forehead. "My hate for you is so great that I have already drawn my key card for this duel! Heart of Hatred!"

He flipped the card around, displaying it proudly. Dalin nodded in acceptance, not bothering to question Nick on its effect. He knew that he would soon find out. "Recently you lot have been casually destroying the Seal of Orichalcos with your Heart cards. Therefore I'm going to make that impossible."

He took a second card from his hand and flipped it around as well, showing it to Dalin. It was the Seal of Orichalcos. "Prepare for a power unlike any you have ever experienced! I combine Heart of Hatred with Seal of Orichalcos!"

The symbol of the Orichalcos formed on his forehead, turning red as it encircled the symbol of hate. A similar circle appeared beneath their feet, and the seal itself formed. Just like the one on Nick's forehead this seal was a red color. "What exactly have you created?"

"This is the Seal of Vengeance! This is the instrument of your defeat! Along with the normal powers of the Seal of Orichalcos it grants me so many effects you won't stand a chance! And since it has the power of a Heart card you won't be able to break it!" Despite his claims, Dalin didn't seem bothered. He was as cold and confident as ever.

"Don't act so confident! You won't stand a chance in a moment or two! To start off I'll summon Mystic Tomato(1400/1100) which gains five hundred attack points, putting it at nineteen hundred!" A large tomato with eyes, teeth, and a nasty tongue appeared in front of him.

"Your strategy is a tomato?" Nick sneered in response and pointed at Neptune. The eyes of the tomato focused on the angel, and the angel itself readied for the attack.

"This is just step one of my strategy. Mystic Tomato, bite his Neptune in half!" The tomato bounced forwards, and did exactly as Nick had said. It bit its teeth into Neptune's middle and ripped it in half. Dalin didn't react. (DLP: 3800)

"That's not all! When a monster is destroyed it casts its hatred upon its former master. Now it will seek vengeance upon you!" The top half of Neptune raised its darkening eyes to Dalin, and aimed a hand at him. Dalin's eyes went wide as it sent a bolt of blue light at him, striking his chest and burning away a bit more of his shirt. (DLP: 3400)

"The destroyed monster deals damage to you equal to one hundred points times its level. Since Neptune was a level four monster you just lost four hundred life points. Don't feel too bad, I get the same punishment. But I don't intend to needlessly lose monsters like you!" Dalin grimaced and grabbed what remained of his shirt, pulling it off and leaving him bare chested.

"I do not needlessly lose monsters. I knew that you would play the Seal of Orichalcos, and that virtually guaranteed your monster to be stronger than Neptune. I wanted you to destroy it, and this is why!" He pressed the activation button on the main part of his disc, and his card flipped up.

It was a magic card, and the image on it was of the same angel from Graceful Charity, only she was weeping over a grave. "The death of my monster triggered the power of my quick-play magic card, Tears of an Angel! Now I may take one angel from my graveyard!"

Neptune rose back onto the field, standing at the ready. "Next I take one angel from my hand!" A yellow skinned angel appeared in front of him with close-cropped black hair and green eyes that glowed with an inner light. This was Pluto, Angel of Weakening(1500/0).

"Now for the final step, my two angels fuse together!" A binding circle of light spread over the two angels, gathering their strength in order to create the next order of angel. What emerged from within that light was something far deadlier than either angel had been.

"Selket, meet the next choir of angels! X, Angel of Fear(2500/1600)! This monster is my answer to the strength of your own cards, and it will grant me strength to defeat you." X was a tall angel with two pairs of crimson wings, and had a stern look on his face. Its power was enough to give Dalin the advantage.

"So be it Sumatin. My turn is over!" Mystic Tomato cast a surprised look at Nick, but Nick merely smirked and nodded patiently to the monster. It turned back and looked up at X with a great deal of fear in its eyes, because it knew it was going to die.

Dalin slid another card off his deck and added it to his hand. _'This won't help at the moment. I'll have to go on the offensive.'_

"X, Angel of Fear...destroy Mystic Tomato!" Beams of energy seared through the air, firing from X's eyes. The beams of light split the tomato down the middle, spilling tomato juice on the ground. (NLP: 3400)

"We are even for the moment. But I believe you said that the effect that damaged me counts for you as well. So now your very own monster will attack you!" The dark tomato screeched and bit down on Nick's leg. Nick grimaced at the pain, but shook it off. He didn't seem to care about the damage to his life points. (NLP: 3000)

"Now one of X's effects activates! Since he dealt you life point damage you must discard one card from your hand and one from the top of your deck!" Nick sneered and took one of the three cards in his hands and slid it into the cemetery. Then he took his top card and slid it into the grave as well. It seemed like Dalin was trying to pull off his own strategy.

"You activate the effect of Mystic Tomato. When it is destroyed in battle and goes into the cemetery I can special summon a dark monster from my deck to the field. The only requirement is that the monster I summon have fifteen hundred or less attack power." A card popped out of his deck and he caught it.

"I know just the monster, and I'm going to summon it in my rear defense. Come forth Don Zaloog(1400/1500)!" The warrior that took shape was muscular with veins bulging on its arms. It held one short sword in each hand, and had an eyepatch over its right eye.

"This is my favorite monster, and it is in fact the very first monster that I ever drew in a pack..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_What are those cards you're always selling old man?" A teenager with blonde hair and an eyepatch leaned back against the counter, looking over at an elderly man who was behind the cash register._

"_You've been working here for all this time and you don't yet know? These packs are for a popular card game called Magic and Wizards. The concept is that the players are wizards, and they use magic, traps, and monster to battle each other." The young Nick raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, his single eye flickering with interest._

"_As a matter of fact, a little known rumor around these parts is that Magic and Wizards is based on an old game played in the past in the Egypt of old. It's quite likely as Pegasus J. Crawford, the maker of the game, has made numerous trips here." The old man smiled at the look on Nick's face, glad he could bring some form of happiness to the troubled youth._

"_I'll do you a favor. I'll front you a pack here and now, and I'll teach you how to play. After that, if you're interested then the rest is up to you." He smiled and rifled through a box of packs, before finally settling on one. He held it out to Nick, who eagerly accepted it._

_Nick peeled back the foil and found his eyes resting on a card with a brownish front to it. There were four orange dots and a purplish symbol at the top, along with a name written in Egyptian. He spread the five cards out, looking them over. "Are any of these cards good?"_

_The old man leaned in to take a look at them. He rubbed his chin and finally settled on a response. "Most of them are merely average cards. However this first one is quite rare. He's called Don Zaloog, and he and you share quite a bit in common. Not just the eye either."_

_Now that Nick looked closer he saw what the old man meant. The warrior on the card had an eyepatch over his right eye. He had lost an eye, just like Nick had. "What do you mean we share quite a bit in common?"_

"_Don Zaloog is a thief with a dark past. Sounds familiar yes?" Nick chuckled and nodded briefly, his eyes fixing on Don Zaloog. Suddenly he flipped it over and stared at the back of the card, memories flashing before him._

"_That man from my past...he had cards like these. And I remember now, there was a tournament for some card game at that time. This card game...he was a competitor. If I start competing, perhaps I can find him and make him pay." His left hand clenched into a fist as his eyes continued to bore into the card. _

"_Don Zaloog...you will be method of retribution. You will be my partner in my quest for vengeance."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D'harim looked over the field as it stood, a field that was placed out on the bed. He smirked beneath his hood and picked up the top card of his deck, placing it with the other cards that were his cemetery. "I'll revive Death Knight Foot Soldier(1700/1200)."

His opponent didn't respond, so he took it as assent to continue. "Now I attack directly for game." He smirked as the score was written down. "You played quite well considering. Don't be worried about how much I crushed you. Even the strongest duelists couldn't stand up to the power of my Death Knights."

His mind drifted from the duel that had just ended to a subject that had been playing through his head since he entered the building. _'Soon I will have the chance to eliminate that disgusting little worm Nikolas. He doesn't deserve the title of Knight of Earth, so I shall strip it from him along with his soul!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin grimaced as he felt the power flowing between Nick and Don Zaloog. There was a true connection there, and he was sure that getting through and defeating Zaloog would be difficult. Nick wouldn't easily allow it to die. "Very well, your favorite monster is in play. I cannot set any cards, therefore I end my turn."

Nick snapped a card off his deck, and the Seal of Vengeance began to glow. "Now is the time Sumatin! I will show you the true power of my hate, and I guarantee that the Seal of Vengeance will be the cause of your defeat!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Onwards I march! I hope that bit with Eikyuu gave you guys a good idea of just what kind of villain he is.

G.O.T. Nick: Nope, you guessed correctly all along. Jackass. :)-

The White Mage: Oh no, Eikyuu is definetely the main villain of this arc. Well, if villain is the right word.

VoidTemplar: I strive to not do exactly what others expect.

WolfGeneral: I'm good at depressing. Man...that's a depressing thought.

Original Cards

Dalin: Neptune-Angel of Emancipation, Tears of an Angel, X-Angel of Fear

Nick: Heart of Hatred, Seal of Vengeance

Anime Original Cards

Nick: Seal of Orichalcos


	24. Gilford vs Kuriboh

Author's Notes: Sorry about this, but suspense is hilarious, so I'm going to keep you guys waiting on the Dalin/Nick duel.

_**Chapter Twenty-Three: Gilford vs. Kuriboh**_

_The elevator stopped abruptly, causing Kai and Kirani to lose their balance. The lights in the elevator flickered and went dead. "No! Those tremors must be causing this power outage...and now we're trapped!" _

_Kirani nodded in agreement, but she felt something familiar. A creeping sensation of terror gliding its way up legs to settle in the pit of her stomach. "Something is wrong...this isn't just because of the tremors."_

_Kai didn't know how to respond to that so he busied himself with trying to pry open the door. "There's no point in wasting time. Isis, Rishid, and Dalin are probably in danger as we speak. No need to worry about ourselves." _

_Kirani nodded and stepped up next to him, throwing her efforts in with his to push the door open. Together they would be able to open it, and then they would find out whether they were at a door or not. "Right, no need to worry about ourselves."_

_But she knew in her heart that there was every reason to worry about themselves. Something was going to happen._

"HEAVE!" Kai threw his full weight against the small opening in the elevator door. Kirani pushed her weight against it as well, and it slowly creaked open. The two duelists fell to their knees, taking a moment to catch their breath.

"Good to see you two again. Been a while, hasn't it?" Their heads snapped up and they found themselves looking into endless darkness. Instead of exiting onto another floor, their elevator had made a special stop.

"Welcome to the last Darkness Game you will ever play! Kirani Kajika, step forward and witness your greatest nightmares come to life!" The voice of Taichi Nobuki, Knight of Air, echoed throughout the darkness. Laughter followed it, and the two duelists had only one option.

Kirani stepped past Kai and out into the darkness. Kai followed her, but stopped when the ground around them began to shake. They gasped as a giant Dueling Platform rose up from the ground. "This will be our field, the Field of Nightmares!"

On the other side of the platform they dueling stand raised and locked into position, revealing Taichi wearing his scarlet armor. With a look of great resolve Kirani stepped onto the stand and it moved into a position opposite Taichi. "I'm not afraid anymore Taichi, because I learned that the only way to defeat a nightmare is to smother it in dreams!"

Taichi smirked and slapped his dueling deck down onto the little place set for it. Kirani remembered the platforms, but hadn't used one since before Battle City. It was unusual to see one again, even if it was slightly different. "What a fantastic way of saying that you'll just pretend the nightmares aren't real. Unfortunately for you, they are real."

She ignored his comment and placed her deck in the appointed spot, familiarizing herself with the layout of the Dueling Platform. There were the normal zones set out, along with a zone for a fusion deck, and for the cemetery. Above those at an angle was a set-up of zones that indicated the cards that the opponent had in play. "Are we going to duel or what?"

Her opponent sighed dramatically and leaned his head on his palm. "No need to be rude. Just sit back and allow me to explain the rules of this particular Darkness Game. Neither of us shall be using a Heart Card, nor shall I use the Seal of Orichalcos. We play under normal rules other than that, except we start with eight thousand life points."

Kirani narrowed her eyes and slipped five cards off her deck. "There's something you aren't telling me. No Darkness Game is ever that simple." She fanned her cards out, not looking at them yet. First she wanted to know exactly what it was she was being forced into. (KLP: 8000)

"Well, because of the two special rules of this game I like to call it a Dark Heart Game. First of all, whenever your life points drop a total of one thousand points your own emotions will be corrupted. There's no telling what that will cause, but it will mean you need to protect your life points even more." He smirked and drew his own opening hand, also not looking at them yet. (TLP: 8000)

"And the second rule?" He sighed at her question and decided to save the theatrics for later.

"You ruin my fun you know that? Well, the second rule applies whenever one of your monsters is destroyed. When that happens you will lose a bit of feeling in part of your body. So if you lose too many your entire body will become numb and useless. But there's something better than all of that combined. I'm not affected by any of these rules."

Kai and Kirani's looks of outrage sent Taichi off into a pearl of laughter. "The power of the Great Lord Eikyuu protects me from these negative effects, so I will remain untouched throughout the entire duel. Only you need worry about these deadly rules. So, ready to begin?" He snickered and drew a sixth card, indicating that he would be going first.

"Ah, this will work nicely. I summon Kuriboh Politician(300/2400) in defense mode!" The familiar brown furred spherical creature appeared in front of him, only this one was wearing a suit and tie. It also had a big bushy white mustache beneath its eyes, and a banner in one hand that read 'Vote for Kuriboh'.

"Politicians are just about the most wicked creatures ever to walk the earth, a prime example of the scum of humanity. They always do whatever they can to get around the rules, and so my politician offers me several effects. First of all I get to draw an extra card each draw phase. You can do the same, but the cost is your battle phase." At hearing itself being talked about the little Kuriboh drew itself up and harumphed.

"What other effects does it have?" Taichi waved a finger back and forth, his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

"No need to get greedy. You'll learn about that soon enough. Now I'll set a card face down and end my turn. All you girly." A zone behind the politician glowed blue and remained that way, indicating that a card had been placed there.

Kirani drew her sixth card and then took the time to actually look over her hand. _'This is a pretty good start. I may not be able to get past his politician yet, but I can start setting up an attack force.'_

"I'll begin by activating this field magic card, Heart of the Storm. It increases the attack power of all monsters with 'lightning', 'thunder', or 'Gilford' in their name by four hundred. There's another effect, but just like you I'll save that for later." Lightning crackled above, and a storm cloud rolled in.

"I summon Child of the Storm-Gilford(1200/800) in attack mode!" A small warrior with a childish appearance descended from the storm cloud, a miniature sword in one hand. It looked like a chibi form of Gilford the Lightning.

"You aren't the only one with cute monsters. Heart of the Storm now boosts my Child of the Storm to a total of sixteen hundred attack points!" A bolt of lightning shot down from the cloud, striking the warrior. Energy crackled around it as its stats raised.

"Next I activate the effect of this monster from my hand, Gilford the Swift(1400/500)!" Another monster descended from the cloud above, this one wearing light chain mail armor. Gilford the Swift had a small rapier in its right hand and a dagger in the other.

"Once per turn I can special summon a monster named Gilford the Swift from my hand to the field. If I do so I can't special summon another one of the same. He too gains the power bonus." Lightning surged through Swift's body, increasing it to a quite respectable eighteen hundred attack.

Taichi yawned and his politician snorted in amusement. "So what? Neither of your monsters has the strength to defeat my Kuriboh Politician. Anything else you'd like to do this turn?"

Kirani shook her head, and leaned against the platform, waiting for Taichi to begin his turn. _'Come on...take the bait!'_

The knight drew two cards from his monsters effect, returning his hand size to six. "I like what I see. Yet just like you I can't get past the monsters on the field. Which means I'll just be summoning a single monster this turn."

He selected a card from his hand and slapped it down. The zone next to the politician started to glow, and a monster took shape beside it. The newest creature was a Kuriboh with huge coke bottle glasses on its face, magnifying its already huge eyes. Kirani sweat dropped at the sight of the silly looking monster.

"This is Genius Kuriboh(0/0). Although the Kuriboh Politician is more devious, the Genius Kuriboh is by far the most intelligent of the clan. Genius Kuriboh, demonstrate your smarts. What's the difference in number between our two hand sizes?" The kuriboh looked at both of them, and then hopped over to Kirani.

It jumped straight onto the stand in front of her, looking at her hand to see how big it was. Once it was satisfied it turned back to Taichi and began to make noises. "Kuri Kuri!" A giant number two appeared in the center of the field, indicating that its answer was two.

"You see! My Kuriboh is so intelligent it was able to do basic mathematics! Five minus three is indeed two, and now Genius Kuriboh's effect forces you to discard cards from your deck equal to that number. Such a smart little fellow." The nerdy little puffball preened itself in satisfaction and then returned to Tachi.

"Your little pom pom geek may be able to do basic math, but apparently you can't. You summoned Genius Kuriboh in attack mode and it doesn't stand a chance against my monsters!" She acted confident even as she slid two cards into her cemetery pile, noting what they were. She knew there had to be a reason why he would place the weakling in attack mode.

"No need to get insulting girly. If you're so confident about your calculations, why don't you give them a try? Attack my Genius Kuriboh if you dare, because it's your turn." He finished his turn, and it was then that Kirani realized what he was up to by playing so few cards.

Kai realized it at the same time and grimaced, crossing his fingers in hope for Kirani. _'With Kuriboh Politician allowing him to draw two cards each turn he can quickly increase his hand size over Kirani's, which means his Genius Kuriboh will be able to make her discard more cards from her deck.'_

"You think you can destroy my deck with your little monster combo? Think again, because I'll use the effect of Kuriboh Politician and draw an extra card at the cost of my battle phase!" She slid two cards off her deck for the start of her turn, making her hand even with Taichi's.

"You really think you're that smart? Well my Genius Kuriboh is smarter, now he'll show you his addition skills! Since you drew extra cards I can get to do the same, putting my hand at six cards!" He picked up another card, giving him even more to work with. Kirani's plan had just back fired.

'_No...this is bad. If I play any cards from my hand this turn he'll just be able to destroy more cards in my deck. I have to play it safe.'_ She took up a single card from her hand and slid it onto the field.

"End turn." Taichi nodded and drew one card. Then he started to draw another, but looked over at his Genius Kuriboh first. The kuriboh stared at him expectantly.

"Since I'm using an effect I can have Genius Kuriboh do multiplication. He'll roll a die, and then he'll multiply the number rolled against the number of the effect. Since I'm going for a draw, whatever he rolls will be the number I draw!" Genius Kuriboh spat a die from its mouth, which bounced across the field.

Kirani's eyes went wide as the number came up as a six. Taichi smirked and drew six new cards. "Thanks to the power of my Genius Kuriboh I get to draw six cards. That just means I have a total of thirteen cards in my hand. Impressive yes?"

When she didn't respond, Taichi was forced to simply continue his turn. "Now I think I'm going to activate the subtraction effect of my Genius Kuriboh. Do your little math trick again my monster." The fuzzball bounced to Kirani and then began squeaking. She counted nine squeaks and realized that was how it showed its counting.

"According to my monster's calculations our hand size differs by nine cards. Therefore you must discard nine cards off the top of your deck." Kirani did as she was told, dumping a big group of cards into her grave. Even worse, several of them would have been useful at the moment.

"You may have a big full hand, but you'll have to discard most of those at the end of the turn unless you play them. Either way your hand size will reduce. You also are forced to go through cards from your deck, so you're in danger of decking out as well!"

"Politicians are good at getting around laws remember? My Kuriboh Politician will keep me from having a fixed hand size. I will however play one card from my hand. Kuriboh Meteor!" The darkness above them split as a fireball began to streak towards Kirani's side of the field.

Looking closely Kirani realized that it wasn't a regular meteor that was shooting at her, but rather a Kuriboh moving at supersonic speeds. Either way, the impact was going to be devastating. "Kuriboh Meteor lets me inflict five hundred points of damage to you for every Kuriboh monster I have on the field. So do the math instead of making my Genius Kuriboh do it!"

The burning piece of living lint exploded right above her, heating her up and slamming her into the railing that was at the back of the platform. She groaned and dropped to her knees, one hand going to her back. "Damn..." (KLP: 7000)

"I'm sure you know what that means girly. Since you lost one thousand life points one of your emotions is about to become corrupted!" Kai and Taichi waited, one hesitantly and the other excitedly. They were both waiting for the change to overcome Kirani.

It came rather quickly. Instead of simply grimacing and shaking off the pain like she normally would, Kirani wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged them to her chest. Then she burst into tears. "THAT WAS MEAN!"

Taichi threw back his head and laughed uproariously, while Kai just sweat dropped. That hadn't been what he had been expecting. Taichi on the other hand seemed quite happy with it. "Perfect! Kirani is no longer the tough girl she used to be, now she's a crybaby!"

"With Kirani overcome by her emotions this duel will be easy sailing. No crybaby can be a duelist, so I've already won! I might not even get a chance to destroy her deck with my monster combo!" Kai clenched his fists tight at the sound of Taichi's laughter, barely heard over Kirani's sobs.

'_Can she win if she's too upset to duel? There has to be a way to snap her out of it!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The top of the elevator shaft should have been dark and empty. But something was giving it light, and that something was giving off a little green light, illuminating a small section of the shaft. The light moved around in odd patterns, like a little bug flying on air currents.

Slowly the green light descended the elevator shaft, and reached the elevator. It slipped through a little crack in the air vent on top of the elevator and moved into the elevator itself. It hesitated for a moment, seeming unsure as it neared the darkness.

The light moved forwards, disappearing into the darkness. Seconds later it came back out from exactly the same spot. It had been unsuccessful in its attempt to enter the Darkness Game. Obviously unsatisfied it darted in again, yet was rejected just like before.

Showing a strange degree of intelligence the little light moved through the crack between the elevator and the wall below, and once again descended the elevator shaft. After a minute of this descent it reached the ground floor and pushed through the tiny divide between the doors of the elevator entrance.

It flitted about the large open room for several moments, then settled in one spot as two men, one bigger than the other, battled. After several moments of this the smaller man got the big man against the wall, and dragged a blade about his body.

Suddenly the big man's eyes came to rest on the glowing green light, and he unleashed his strength, freeing himself and striking down the other man. The two began to speak to one another, and in moments the devices on their arms activated.

The light lingered for several moments as a duel began, then it went on the move again. What it was searching for couldn't easily be pointed out, but it was obvious that it was searching for something.

It hadn't gone far when it vanished, leaving no trace that it had ever been there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eikyuu opened his gloved hand and the hollow eyes of his mask settled on the glowing green light that fluttered around above the palm of his hand. "Very intriguing. Something I had not expected."

Eikyuu's attention was drawn away from the light when a large group of soldiers entered the room, dragging with them a human male. The male had apparently been struggling quite effectively, as many of the soldiers seemed to be nursing wounds.

As a god Eikyuu had never taken time to pay attention to the details of human features. Such things were simply beneath his notice. However, he did notice something unusual about this male. His hair was a white color, and he didn't appear to be old. He was certain this was not a normal feature. "What is this you bring before me?"

The white haired male smashed his head into the nose of the man behind him, and then a golden light exploded around him, knocking the guards away. Fierce eyes stared up at Eikyuu from beneath that mass of white hair. "They brought me exactly where I wanted to go! Now die!"

The male raised his arm and fired a beam of golden light at Eikyuu. The beam blinked out of existence before it reached the god, and the look of shock was enough to tell Eikyuu that this mortal hadn't been aware of exactly what he was dealing with. "You are one of the Fallen."

This brought a sneer to the male's features, and he spat a mixture of blood and saliva on the ground in front of Eikyuu's feet. The god didn't even notice. "I am Bakura, King of Thieves! And you are the bastard creature Eikyuu!"

"King of Thieves? You are not the King of Thieves I remember, and you do not appear to be very impressive. Priests, sacrifice this one for the spell." The five black robed men began to advance on Bakura, but the thief lashed out with his magic and sent the men sprawling backwards.

"I won't be a sacrifice for you!" Bakura ripped a sub-machine gun from the hands of one of the nearby guards and leveled it at Eikyuu. He squeezed the trigger and a spray of bullets ripped through the air.

Eikyuu's eyes went straight past the bullets and met Bakura's. The thief gasped as he felt the raw power behind those eyes, and felt his resolve begin to weaken. He barely had the resolve left to notice the bullets vanish without a trace.

"You will be a willing sacrifice. Is that not correct?" Bakura's white haired head slowly nodded, barely of his own free will. His energy was gone, and his body went limp, waiting for someone to tell him what to do.

The five priests dragged the thief king away and out of sight. He was placed in the center of a circle with archaic designs in a language that very few knew. Then he became their sacrifice as their knives descended up him. Eikyuu failed to notice the screams.

While Eikyuu's attention had wandered from it, the light had escaped his grip and flew towards the ceiling. There it moved through a ventilation shaft and out onto the roof. It paused for a moment as if getting its bearings, and then it started flying again.

Anyone who knew New York well enough might have been able to say that one of the things that lay in the direction of the little light's flight path was the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me, why did you select that as your deck type? Pegasus created it only recently, and the set has just begun to expand. I'm surprised you were even able to construct a deck around those creatures." D'harim's voice was cold and cruel even now, but his companion didn't seem bothered by it.

"I suppose I picked it because I always wished that creatures like these were real." D'harim responded with the barest nod, then glanced to the side as the entire wall rippled like it was phasing in and out of existence.

"Nobuki is allowing the Darkness to grow. It will expand and consume this entire building if his duel does not finish soon. There is less than an hour before this occurs, so I suggest being prepared to leave at a moment's notice." He stood and inspected the wall, brushing a hand along the outside of it.

"The question is...why is he allowing it to expand?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Who's a crybaby?" Taichi's laughter stopped as Kirani grabbed onto the railing and pulled herself back to her feet. Her eyes were somewhat puffy and red, but she had a look of confidence back on her face.

"I see one alteration isn't enough to keep down that strong will of yours. I'll just have to try harder, so begin your turn!" Kai heaved a sigh of relief at seeing that Kirani could continue the duel. The faster they beat Taichi the better.

"I may have started crying, but that's just because of your lame tricks. Now the one about to start crying is you as I take down your discard combo. Draw!" She drew her card, not yet looking at it. Then she motioned to her field, her hand aimed in the direction of her Child of the Storm.

"The time has come for you to get reacquainted with the master of this deck. Child of the Storm has been on the field in attack mode, maturing every turn. Since he has matured enough I can sacrifice him to special summon this creature from my deck!" A bolt of lightning zapped from the cloud above, and it surged through Child of the Storm, hiding him from sight.

"Arise! Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!" The light faded from the child, revealing a nearly eight foot tall muscular warrior. He had a long sword slung over his back and a stern expression set on the Kuribohs.

"I may not have sacrificed three monsters for him, but since I used Child of the Storm's effect...I do get to activate his ability. So unsheathe your blade Gilford, and show Taichi the strength of your Raigeki Blade!" The mighty warrior nodded and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, slowly drawing it out.

"HAAAA!" Gilford swung his blade in a wide arc, and lightning rained from the sky, battering down on Taichi's Kuribohs. Taichi sneered and reached for his face down card.

"You should remember this from our last duel. Kuriboh Swarm Defense! Since I have two Kuribohs on the field I can negate two chances at destroying my puffy little monsters. That's one down." He smirked as the lightning was intercepted by a giant swarm of the little hairballs, blasting away dozens but leaving some still remaining.

"Two chances at defense? I guess I'll just have to use three this turn then! I summon Gilford of Thunder(1800/400), letting me draw one card from the top of my deck and one from the bottom." She drew the appropriate cards, and the smaller Gilford joined his mighty sibling on the field.

Kirani spread her hand out before her and snickered, looking over the top of the cards at her opponent. "So many options. What way do I choose to destroy your beasts?" Taichi blanched at her confidence, looking at his field. He might have two monsters there, but his trap could only prevent one more assault on his two creatures.

"Here's a method! I play Bolt From The Blue. This card can only be played if Gilford the Lightning is in play, and at a cost of his attack for the turn I can reuse his special power. Raigeki Blade once again!" Gilford swung his blade down, sending streaks of lightning careening into the swarm. The last of them were blown apart.

"Now your Kuribohs are wide open, and I'm gonna activate my set card, Raigeki Break! At a cost of discarding one card I can destroy one of the opponent's cards, so I choose to destroy your Kuriboh Politician!" Taichi grimaced as a bolt of electricity ripped through his monster, leaving him with just an attack mode creature.

"Gilford of Thunder attacks your wide open Genius Kuriboh! That means you're down by 1800 life points!" Gilford of Thunder dove forward with his blade extended, but the little Kuriboh spat a die out of its mouth which spun around for a few seconds.

"Time for more math! Since you attack my Genius Kuriboh lets me roll a die, and divide the attack of your monster by the amount rolled! Let's see what I got..." To his annoyance the die only came up as a three, and Gilford of Thunder stabbed the nerdy monster. (TLP: 7267)

"I can still attack you directly with Gilford the Swift, so here's more damage!" The warrior turned into a blur and appeared in front of Taichi, standing tall and proud. It slashed the rapier across the knight's chest, causing him to stumble backwards in pain. (TLP: 5467)

Taichi grimaced and stood back up, his eyes lighting up with pure rage. "I'll make you suffer for that, believe me. I won't stop until all of your emotions have turned against you!" He threw back his head and started to laugh, a laugh that was uniquely and sickeningly his own. Yet it still reminded Kirani of when he was possessed by the dark spirit.

"I set one card face down on the field and end my turn. See if you can manage to recover Taichi." She smirked smugly, knowing that she had just grabbed the advantage back. But he had twelve cards in his hand and it was about to be thirteen, so she couldn't be cocky.

The Kuriboh user picked up his card and then raised his head to stare at her. "Get ready to pay for your arrogance!" He slammed a card onto his field, and up rose a little Kuriboh. It danced around in joy of being summoned, but unfortunately for it there was no reaction from Kirani.

"Now I activate Multiply, turning my one Kuriboh into five!" The little fuzzball split apart, taking up each of Taichi's monster zones. Each one joined hands in a circle, singing in happiness of being together.

"Here's another thing for you to recognize! Joyful Kuriboh Dance, creating Kuriboh tokens equal to the number of Kuriboh on the field, and none of them take up my zones!" The circle danced faster and faster, becoming a blur as the singing rose as well.

They split apart, all of them stumbling about with squiggles in their eyes. All the dancing had made them dizzy and now they couldn't seem to figure out where they were. "And now, prepare to lose almost all of your life points! I activate Kuriboh Meteor, and you know that means 5000 damage!"

Right above the circle the darkness turned red, and a much bigger meteor fell from the sky. This was because it was composed of multiple Kuriboh, each one shrieking as they raced towards their demise. "No!"

The blast swept over Kirani's field, covering it in a dome of fire. But to Taichi's surprise the energy began to be pulled inwards, or at least some of it was. The object that had pulled the energy in was a little machine with a metal pole sticking out of the top with pronged ends. "You triggered my trap, Lightning Rod!"

The trap began shuddering as the energy it had absorbed began to overload it. "My Lightning Rod is a permanent trap that can absorb up to twenty-eight hundred points of damage. Twenty-eight hundred is its max, so when it reaches that it explodes and draws out a special creature."

It exploded, and energy flowed out of the ruined remains, beginning to take shape. What it turned into was the tall and powerful form of Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) who stood proudly next to his three brethren. "Since he was summoned like this his special ability activates. All of your monsters die!"

A bolt of lightning shot from Gilford's blade, zapping each and every one of the Kuriboh. Taichi grimaced as they exploded into little fragments, leaving his field completely empty. "Your trap...its limit is twenty-eight hundred damage. That means the other twenty-two hundred damage still hits, and if we do math that means two more corrupted emotions!" (KLP: 4800)

Kirani grimaced and slammed a hand down on the platform, her eyes glaring daggers at Taichi. "You pathetic little bastard! You're gonna be the one who pays for that, not me! When my turn comes all four of my monsters will rip you into tatters!"

Taichi smirked as rage took over, and Kirani's body began to shake from the pure hatred flowing through her. "I see. Instead of being the nice, kind person you normally are you have become an utter bitch. Perfect!"

Kai stared at the enraged Kirani, his fists clenched in anger. None of this seemed fair to him, none of it at all. _'With her this enraged her focus will slip, and I don't even want to know what the combination of being a crybaby and being full of hate will cause. Nobody can be like that at the same time...yet because of this Darkness Game she is.'_

He looked over at Taichi and shouted out at the knight, his anger evident in the tone of his voice. "You coward! You can't duel without some crutch giving you the advantage! What other emotions has your Darkness Game corrupted?"

The dark haired teenager shrugged, a big grin plastered on his face. "I couldn't say, but I can't wait to find out what it is. I don't want to be held in suspense too much longer, so I should probably hurry my turn along."

"Ah, here we go. I know exactly what to do. I discard Kuriboh Recruiter(300/200) from my hand to create five Kuriboh tokens which cannot attack or defend my life points. The purpose of this is obvious in many ways, if you have my kind of talent. So let me show you." He dropped the named card into his cemetery pile, and then five little Kuribohs were summoned to the field.

"Prepare to witness the force of destruction that defeated your friends Ryu and Autumn! By offering up five Kuriboh monsters from my field I can special summon this behemoth of darkness to the field. Let's get crazy!" The five monsters vanished, and a giant monster formed in front of Taichi. Its fangs dripped with blood and its fur was matted with the substance. It glared crimson eyes at Kirani, and in her enraged state she just glared back.

"Meet my Psychotic Devil Kuriboh(2500/2500)! Luckily enough for you summoning it brought me into my main phase two, so all your monsters shall remain intact. Of course by not attacking I activate its effect, and burn away five hundred of your life points!" The demon spat a black fireball at Kirani, and it knocked her over. (KLP: 4300)

Kirani jumped back to her feet, tears in her eyes. Yet despite the tears rage shined through, and in broken sobs she raged at him. "You bastard...pathetic bastard...I'll kill you!" Taichi raised an eyebrow, obviously amused at the combination of emotions.

"Don't worry girly, next turn I can easily warp another of your emotions with the effect of Psychotic Devil Kuriboh. Don't forget that if one of your monsters is destroyed you will become partially numb." With that said he placed three cards from his hand behind the behemoth, ending his turn.

Kirani drew in a deep breath and snapped her top card off her deck. She looked at the field and at her hand, and then declared something surprising. "It's all useless. I can't get to your monster and none of my cards will help out. It's not fair..."

She sniffled, and her eyes began to tilt downwards. Suddenly they rose again and she declared angrily, "So I'm gonna blow everything away! Absolutely everything!" She laughed harshly and took one card from her hand, ready to play it.

Taichi looked on with a great deal of curiosity, taking care to note exactly the emotion that had been warped. _'It seems that she lacks the same degree of confidence as before, and mixed with the other corrupted emotions she is slowly becoming insane. Just like everything thought I was.'_

He snickered in amusement, barely realizing that by any standards he would be considered clinically insane. "Go ahead little girly, make your move! I'll be only too glad to turn it against you and blow you away!"

She slid the card down and onto an appropriate zone. The cloud above them began to expand and become darker. Red bolts of lightning jumped between clouds, and even her monsters looked nervous. "I activate one of my strongest magic cards, Storm of the Century!"

Gilford of Thunder screamed in agony as his entire body split apart and turned into energy, rushing up into the clouds above. "All my special card requires is that I sacrifice one monster on my field with the word 'Gilford' in its name. The effect is devastating by any standards!"

Kai and Taichi each were blinded as red lightning began to rain down on both sides of the field, and fierce winds whipped throughout the darkness. Everything was out of sight, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of the wind and Kirani's voice. "Storm of the Century blows up every card on the field and in our hands, scattering it all to the winds!"

The clouds passed and the field was revealed. Both of them held no cards in their hand, and there were no cards in their m/t zones. Kirani's field was utterly empty, but standing tall and ferocious was Taichi's monster. "Impressive attempt, but you've just left yourself completely open to my monster's attack, for her cannot be destroyed by such paltry effects!"

"You destroyed four of your own monsters, so your body is going to become numb in some places." Kirani grimaced, tears coming to her eyes as she slumped down, her right leg becoming useless. Her shoulders also felt fairly numb.

"Also, since monsters were destroyed my beast gains five hundred points for each one. Now my Psychotic Devil Kuriboh(4500/4500) is deadlier than ever before!" The devil kuriboh roared, spraying saliva across the field. With such a power it could easily match even the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and outmatch any of Kirani's monsters.

"I'm not stupid, I wasn't going to empty my field. You see, when Gilford the Lightning is destroyed I can special summon a Gilford-Soul of Lightning(2100/1000) from my deck. Since two died I can special summon two. I was going to use them to attack you directly, but now I summon them in defense." She spread her deck out in front of her face and searched through it for the necessary cards.

Finally she found her cards and slapped the two monsters down on the field, summoning up two Gilfords forged of pure electricity. They would be an adequate shield against his monster for at least two turns at the most. So she had to figure out a way to win. "My turn is over."

Taichi drew and then shrugged his shoulders in disappointment. "I was hoping for another monster that had over one thousand attack points. I didn't get it, and I don't feel like talking long enough to declare an attack. So I simply end my turn, activating my creature's effect."

The black fireball roared into life and blasted Kirani off her feet. Kai heard the dropping of her life points, and saw her slump against the platform. "Kirani! You have to get up! Please get up, otherwise you'll lose the duel and your soul!" (KLP: 3800)

Teary eyes turned towards him and she shook her head. "What's the point. I hate this stupid game, so why should I have to play it?" Kai's eyes went wide as he realized exactly what about her had been corrupted.

Taichi wasn't silent about it, he roared with laughter, his eyes ablaze with something resembling madness. "This is the best thing yet! Her love of the game and competition has been drained away and turned to hate! She isn't even willing to play the game anymore!"

Kirani pushed herself up to her feet and began to lower her hand towards her deck. Kai recognized the action, seeing that it wasn't just fingers for a draw. It was her entire hand, and it was about to cover her deck. "Kirani! Don't surrender!"

She looked back over at him, and rage blazed in those defeated eyes. "What's the point? This game is responsible for all the crap that has happened. Without it Drake would still be here, Serenity would be, and so would everyone else taken while playing it! This game is responsible, and so there's no point in continuing!"

"If you just surrender then you'll be added to that list of people taken! It wasn't the game, it was these people. Don't lash out at the game, lash out at them. Show Taichi your power, show him your duelist's heart!" She turned away, not wanting to listen to him. Her hand continued its descent, and it seemed to Kai to move in slow motion.

Everything was slowed down, the falling of her hand, Taichi leaning forward in anticipation, even the shifting of the darkness was slowed. But the one thing that didn't slow was Kai's mind, and he reached a conclusion quite suddenly.

"Drake would never have surrendered!"

Kirani's eyes went wide and her hand stopped its descent. She stared ahead blankly and he saw her mouth move in a whisper that only she could hear. "Drake...would never have surrendered?"

Staring straight ahead she saw a faint ghost-like form, one that she was sure only she could see. The ghostly Drake drifted forwards, passing through the platform to stand right in front of her. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered reassuring words to her. "You said it yourself, the only way to defeat a nightmare is to smother it in dreams. So show him the strength of your dreams."

She closed her eyes, and when they opened the ghost Drake was nowhere to be seen. Both Taichi and Kai were staring at her expectantly, each one hoping for a different reaction. Her gaze fell to her deck, and a smile started to appear. The smile that had made Drake fall in lover with her in the first place.

"Taichi...I won't bow down now. I'll show you the power I possess, the strength of my dreams." She said this all in a whisper, not caring whether he heard her or not. She needed to say it for herself and herself alone.

"Taichi, it's my turn, my duel, and now...it's my draw!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I hadn't planned out any of this chapter because I didn't decide until last minute to have Taichi defeat Autumn and Ryu. Therefore I made this all up on the fly. Hence why it took a bit longer. I'd like thank 3 Doors Down's new album Seventeen Days, as new music always gets me pumped even though I'm sick.

Time Mage: Hinata had her soul taken by D'harim WAY back, I already revealed that. Taichi and D'harim don't like Nick because he isn't really loyal to Eikyuu like them, he's just in it for himself. The person D'harim defeated will eventually be revealed of course.

VoidTemplar: Drake's around.

The White Mage: Umm...could you restate that question about puns and Heart cards so it makes sense? Then I can answer it.

G.O.T. Nick: The only reason you knew those things were: 1. You submitted the character of Nick. 2. You are a nerd and therefore know things about extra planets. Don't ask how I know though, because that brings up questions about me.

WolfGeneral: I like Eikyuu as a villain, but the Dark Spirit was and always will be my favorite.

Original Cards

Taichi: Kuriboh Politician, Genius Kuriboh, Kuriboh Meteor, Kuriboh Swarm Defense, Kuriboh Recruiter, Psychotic Devil Kuriboh

Kirani: Gilford the Swift, Child of the Storm-Gilford, Heart of the Storm, Gilford of Thunder, Bolt From The Blue, Lightning Rod, Storm of the Century, Gilford-Soul of Lightning


	25. The Deserts of a Shadowed Past

Author's Notes: Back to the duel of revenge.

_**Chapter Twenty-Four: The Deserts of a Shadowed Past**_

"_You activate the effect of Mystic Tomato. When it is destroyed in battle and goes into the cemetery I can special summon a dark monster from my deck to the field. The only requirement is that the monster I summon have fifteen hundred or less attack power." A card popped out of his deck and he caught it. _

"_I know just the monster, and I'm going to summon it in my rear defense. Come forth Don Zaloog(1400/1500)!" The warrior that took shape was muscular with veins bulging on its arms. It held one short sword in each hand, and had an eyepatch over its right eye._

"_This is my favorite monster, and it is in fact the very first monster that I ever drew in a pack..."_

_Dalin grimaced as he felt the power flowing between Nick and Don Zaloog. There was a true connection there, and he was sure that getting through and defeating Zaloog would be difficult. Nick wouldn't easily allow it to die. "Very well, your favorite monster is in play. I cannot set any cards, therefore I end my turn."_

_Nick snapped a card off his deck, and the Seal of Vengeance began to glow. "Now is the time Sumatin! I will show you the true power of my hate, and I guarantee that the Seal of Vengeance will be the cause of your defeat!"_

"To begin with, the Seal of Vengeance will generate a special type of counter on each monster you have on the field. You have just X on the field, so one counter is generated. This counter...is a Hate Counter!" A black mark appeared on X's chest, and briefly the angel's eyes lit up red.

"Soon you'll feel the power of these Hate Counters, but at the moment I have another plan in mind. It will cost me two hundred life points, but soon enough you'll see how worthwhile it is." The Seal around them started to glow, and a dark shape began to form on Nick's side of the field. (NLP: 2800)

"At a cost of two hundred life points I can create a Vengeance Token(100/100) whose attack and defense points is influenced by the number of Hate Counters on your field. Since you have just one counter my token has only one hundred attack and defense points." A black form appeared in front of him, and it was clear that it was a floating form of Kanji that read 'Vengeance'.

"What will such a weak token do? Is there an effect I should be aware of?" Nick smirked, not bothered by Dalin's calm demeanor. In moments he would show his enemy exactly what there was to be afraid of.

"Right now my Vengeance Token merely supplies me with a much needed monster. So I sacrifice my Vengeance Token and unleash another part of my strategy. Come forth, Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong(1800/1500)!" A powerful looking monster wielding a massive hammer was summoned up in front defense, and the symbol of the Seal of Vengeance appeared on its forehead, boosting its strength.

Dalin paused for a moment to inspect the creature. A single sacrifice for a monster with only eighteen hundred attack points. "Dark Scorpion? I've heard of such monsters. Virtually no duelist uses them because of how weak they are. Are you a person who can unleash their full potential?"

"Oh I am! Ever since I began playing this game the Dark Scorpions have been with me, and by uniting with their strength my own is magnified! Working together we become an unstoppable force, and we will win!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_I lost...again. If I can't make money by winning tournaments so I can get out of here and start searching then I'll never get my vengeance!" A teenage Nick punched his fist into the wall, denting the plaster. His single remaining eye was wet with fresh tears, and his body shook with frustration._

"_Am I really so weak that I can't have victory? Am I doomed to forever imagine vengeance and never achieve it?" He flipped the top card off his deck, and stared at it. He had known without looking that the card was none other than his partner, Don Zaloog. _

"_It isn't a matter of your strength Nikolas. You simply rely too much on Don Zaloog and too little on the rest of your deck. It has no focus, no structure to it. You can't win a duel with one monster alone." The blonde teen looked over his shoulder to find the old man, the owner of the shop, coming out from the back room._

"_But I swore that Don would be my method of retribution against the man who did this to me. It isn't that I haven't got good cards...its just that none of them feel right to me. None of them give me that same feeling of connection as Don Zaloog does." He sighed and slumped up against the wall, his one eye staring at the picture of Don Zaloog on the card._

"_Well, this is the end of the week, so why not buy a few packs with that paycheck of yours. I know its meager and will never get you that ticket out of here that you like, but it could strengthen your deck if you manage to grab the right pack." Nick shrugged and pushed himself away from the wall._

"_I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Even now I can't understand why you chose to let me work here instead of just letting my hand get cut off for stealing from you." The old man chuckled at this, watching as the teen searched through the packs that lined the walls, sifting through them to find one that felt right._

"_Still don't understand? I suppose it's just because of how different we are. I saw how desperate you were, stealing just to survive, taking only things that would keep you alive. So I showed mercy on you like the gods would have liked. It's something that is hard for you to understand because of the pain you feel." Nick nodded absentmindedly, his eye settling on a single pack of cards._

"_I'll start small old man. This pack, I'm buying this one." The shop keep smiled and went to the register. He rang it up, and then leaned up against the counter, hoping for Nick to open it then and there. It was always interesting to see what a young aspiring duelist got in their draw from a pack._

_Nick peeled the corner off, tearing the foil away so that the brown backed cards could be revealed. He had deliberately done it upside down so he could reveal them each in turn. He turned the top card over, revealing a purple and ugly dragon. "Crawling Dragon. This one doesn't feel right either."_

_He proceeded to turn over Beaver Warrior, Barrel Behind the Door, and Curse of Aging. Finally there was just one card left to be revealed. "Let's see if my luck has improved any. After those four draws I doubt it."_

_He tipped the card over, and it revealed a five star monster with a meager eighteen hundred attack points. He snorted and began to brush the card aside, but the shop keeper's sudden drawing of breath made him stop. "What is it old man? You see something I don't?"_

"_That card...Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong. That name...its straight out of history." Nick raised his eyebrow, not understanding what the old man was going on about._

"_Back at the turn of the century there was a group of thieves, the best in the world. They raided the tombs of kings and the ancient pyramids. No trap, whether new or old, could keep them from their success. Before they vanished they amassed great wealth, and rumors abound about the whereabouts of this wealth. They were called the Dark Scorpions." Nick's interest was peaked at just the word thief, and he took a closer look at the card._

_The moment his hand touched the card he felt something. Like a deep inner connection. It wasn't the same or as powerful as what he felt from the Don, but it was similar all the same. "This card feels right to me for some reason."_

"_After Pegasus created Don Zaloog I should have expected this. It appears he is well versed in Egyptian history, because the leader of the Dark Scorpions was Don Zaloog. There were five of them altogether, and when working as one they could not be defeated." Nick stared at the card, and then placed it next to his Don Zaloog._

"_Working as one? Five as one...no...six as one. The Dark Scorpions and myself. I will gather the other three cards to me and I will create a deck that unites them together to form an unstoppable force. Together with the strength of the Dark Scorpions...vengeance will be mine."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Now, the power of my Vengeance Tokens will activate. When one of them leaves the field I inflict damage to your life points equal to its attack. So feel the power of vengeance!" Dalin cast one hand up to block the bolt of dark energy that shot out of the seal, but he wasn't quick enough. It slammed into his shoulder and knocked him backwards. (DLP: 3300)

"So your intent is to keep increasing the number of Hate Counters on my field to increase the power of your Vengeance Tokens for more damage. You drain your own life points in the process." He recovered himself, and stood strong once again against Nick. Now was no time for weakness of any sort, despite the pain his body felt.

"You think so do you? Well vengeance is a panacea to me, so whenever I deal damage to you with a Vengeance Token I gain an equal amount of life points. So fairly soon I'll be gaining back more than I pay for my tokens!" Power flowed into him from the Seal that he stood on, and his life points rose up to match that power. (NLP: 2900)

"I see, well let us see whose power is supreme. The power of your vengeance, or my power. Continue your turn and we can find out." Nick shook his head, knowing it would be futile to continue. Even with the power bonus Gorg the Strong couldn't defeat X, Angel of Fear.

"My monsters can't defeat yours...yet. So I'll just end my turn." He slid two of the three cards in his hand onto his Duel Pod, then his turn was complete. Dalin looked at the cards on Nick's field, feeling the connection between them. This duel was going to more dangerous than he had anticipated.

'_Previously when I attacked he had kept his field free of traps to lure me into destroying his Mystic Tomato in order to summon Don Zaloog. Now that he has his monsters on the field he has no intent to keep them undefended, so at least one of those cards is a genuine trap.'_ Dalin didn't even blink as he drew his card, analyzing the situation.

"I shall summon Uranus, Angel of Good Will(1800/0) in attack mode. After that I will merely end my turn." His strong level four angel took shape, giving off a feeling of benevolence. At this point he couldn't use its effect, and the purpose for summoning it was not attacking.

Nick narrowed his eye at his opponent, uncertain what the duelist's plan was. It seemed unusual to leave a weaker monster in attack mode, especially when you didn't place any cards on the field and the opponent had stronger monsters. _'Is he trying to bluff me, or does he have a card that he can play from his hand?'_

He wasn't able to get anything out of Dalin, as the muscular duelist was still as passive as ever. His green eyes were cold and distant, not betraying any of his inner thoughts. _'Still no magic or trap cards. At this rate I won't be able to keep the advantage of power for much longer.'_

Finally realizing that he wouldn't be able to learn the truth of Dalin's play just by looking at the man, Nick decided to start his turn off. "Let's get this going shall we? My turn, draw!"

He didn't bother to look at the card yet, instead he pointed at Dalin's field and began to laugh. "Now each of your monsters is infested by a Hate Counter! That brings the total on the field up to three!"

Another dark mark appeared on X, while the first one appeared on Uranus. "Next up, I generate yet another Vengeance Token, this time with three times as much attack and defense power!" (NLP: 2700)

The black kanji form took form in front of Nick, and the knight finally took the time to look at the new card he had drawn. He smirked at the sight of it, and slammed it down on his Duel Pod. "I sacrifice my Vengeance Token to summon Freed the Matchless General(2300/1700)!"

A tall blonde warrior in shining armor now stood next to Gorg, but instead of a hammer this warrior had a sword in hand. Freed brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and stared at Dalin with deep hatred as the mark of the Seal of Vengeance granted him increased power. "With the added strength my Matchless General is stronger than your angel!"

Dalin was about to respond, but was halted as three bolts of energy slammed into his chest. He grimaced, but remained standing despite the force of the blows. On the other side dark power was flowing into Nick. "Since my Vengeance Token was fodder for Freed, its effect activated inflicting three hundred damage to you, and restoring that many of my life points." (NLP: 3000, DLP: 3000)

"We're even Selket. Impressive." That was the last thing that Nick wanted. Compliments he didn't care for when they came from the man he hated above all else. Nothing could have been worse.

"Don't patronize me you bastard! Freed, cut his X in half! Then Gorg will follow suit and crush Uranus' head in!" The two mighty warriors hefted their weapons, and then caught the look that X sent their way. Both warriors shrank back from that gaze and didn't move any further.

"What's wrong with you cowards? You're stronger than him, so attack him already!" His rage was cut off by the sound of Dalin's voice. Dalin was chuckling, even as he slid two cards from his hand into the cemetery.

"Your monsters aren't cowards, they were merely overcome by the power of my X, Angel of Fear. By discarding half of my hand I was allowed to use X's special ability known as Terror Counterstrike. Your monsters are now too paralyzed by fear to attack me at all." He folded his arms over his chest and awaited Nick's next move.

"So be it! I may not be able to go after your monsters this turn, but I'll get past your creature soon enough! Until that moment, my turn is over!" He knew somewhere within himself that to win this duel he would have to gain control of his rage, but being in this man's presence enraged him so much that it would be difficult.

Dalin paused for a moment in the middle of his draw and then shook his head slightly, as if brushing off a thought. "I summon Venus, Angel of Creation(1600/0) in defense mode!" A beautiful angelic woman was summoned, three little spheres surrounding her, floating in a lazy arc about her body.

"Next I move Uranus, Angel of Good Will into defense mode." The happy angel drew his wings around himself, falling into a crouch. Now the only monster he had left in attack mode was X, Angel of Fear.

"I'll place this trap card face down. With this card on my field any attack would only assist me." With only one card remaining in his hand, Dalin's turn was over. Nick sneered at this last comment and began his own turn.

"I won't fall for such a pathetic bluff. Now, pay for your mistake of summoning an extra monster as the total Hate Counters on your field triples to six!" The deadly marks emerged on each of Dalin's creatures. Dalin didn't even blink an eye as the potential damage increased so greatly.

"You probably think my only method of damage is the destruction of the Vengeance Token. Well, you'll learn differently shortly. First I'll generate one of those nifty little tokens." His token formed, giving him yet another weapon to use against Dalin. Now all he needed was a method to make him leave the field.

"I'll continue be revealing that I didn't draw at all this turn. Freed the Matchless General lets me skip my draw phase to add a level four or lower warrior to my hand. Unluckily for you each of the Dark Scorpions is a warrior, so with him on the field I can quickly assemble my deadly army!" He brandished one of the cards in his hand, and then slid it into one of his m/t zones.

"Thanks to the power of Seal of Vengeance I'll summon one of the most faithful of my Dark Scorpions in rear defense. Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000)!" A blonde haired man with a gray top and red pants now stood next to the purple-haired Zaloog, and greeted his leader with a slight bow.

Dalin felt the flicker, and then in his mind's eye he saw a glowing line connect Nick to Cliff. The power was there, greater than it was with Gorg, but not quite to the degree that it was with Zaloog. _'He has a true connection with his Dark Scorpions. If I don't stop him he'll soon have all five together, and from what I know that can be devastating.'_

"Can you feel the hate your monsters have for you? Well for each Hate Counter on them that feeling increases, and when they get a total of three then something happens. They go berserk!" X threw back his head and released a primal roar, frightening the other two angels.

"All I have to do is sacrifice those three counters and that monster will attack its controller, in this case that means you. So I sacrifice all three Hate Counters on X, Angel of Fear in order to have it attack you directly!" X turned towards Dalin, a look of hate in its eyes, and raised its fist, gathering together energy for a deadly strike.

"I warned you that attacking me would only assist me in this duel. Learn this now, I don't bluff! Open trap card!" He snapped his fingers, and the face down card went face-up. A red line of energy connected it and X's attack, stopping it completely.

"This trap is known as Energy Absorption! First it stops an attack!" The anger around X's hand faded away, leaving it as no threat. With the hate counters gone it returned to normal, and now he turned back to face Nick again.

"Secondly it increases my life points by half of the attack points of the attacker. I now gain twelve hundred and fifty life points." The red soul rope curled back around and shot into Dalin's duel disk. A crimson glow issued forth from it, and the disk began counting up his new life points. (DLP: 4250)

"Finally my trap card ends your battle phase immediately! You haven't entered it yet, but the effect remains. You now can't attack with any of your monsters." The Knight of Earth quivered in rage at having been denied his chance to attack and having the effect of his Seal of Vengeance turned against him.

"You may have denied me my chance to crush you this turn, but it won't last forever! My turn is done, so take yours and let's get this over with shall we?" He folded his arms to await Dalin's next move. He was perfectly prepared for whatever attempt Dalin might make against him, and he still had a spare card in his hand.

The angel duelist cast his eyes upon his deck and then stopped in the midst of drawing. "What in the world?"

His attention had been drawn away from the act of drawing a card by the sudden dark presence he felt. Nick seemed to feel it too, and now their gazes were drawn upwards. What they saw was shocking. "Impossible..."

The ceiling above them was wavering, rippling like a wave. It was as if it were being destabilized by something. Dalin recognized the feeling he was getting, and realized precisely what was happening to the ceiling. "The boundaries of reality are collapsing inwards as one reality invades the other, expanding past its limits. Something is feeding the Darkness Realm, allowing it to bleed into our world."

"That's all very intriguing, but honestly I don't care. So long as you die, I'm fine with it. Now continue your turn!" Dalin returned his attention to the duel, and placed his fingers on his top card.

'_Whatever is causing this must be set aside for the moment. I cannot deal with it while locked with this Seal of Vengeance, therefor to stop the expansion of the Darkness Realm I must win this duel. The stakes have just been raised.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Even the powers of darkness that I possess cannot halt the expansion of this Darkness Game. I can slow it down or even prevent it from reaching us, but I cannot stop it. Had I caught it earlier I might have been able to, but it is beyond my control now."

D'harim grimaced beneath his hood and stalked away, not making sure that the person he spoke to was following him. He knew that he was being followed, he could feel their presence. _'Something inside of me has made a connection with...but yet that should be impossible.'_

The first knight of order scowled and lengthened his strides, forcing his companion to speed up to keep pace with him. Things were not supposed to happen as they were, and at the moment he couldn't stop them.

'_So much must be accomplished, and yet there is so little time. Things are moving too quickly, I must find a way to slow it all down.'_ The pair turned a corner and stepped out onto the stairs. It was time to head upwards.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Down in a shattered room where two bodies lay untouched and barely alive, something was happening. A bright golden glow was beginning to cover them, and it seemed to sweep upwards and outwards, covering the building in its light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The boy slowed his breathing, making sure it wasn't making too much noise. He had learned by now that when things were tense your breathing always sounded louder than it actually was, but he still tried to quiet it down. 'Time to strike...'_

_He moved in swiftly and quietly, completely undetected. A deft hand reached out and plucked a loaf of bread out of a small bag that hung from the arm of an elderly man. The boy cheered silently for his catch and moved to slide into the crowd and become unseen._

_It wasn't the first time he had stolen something, and he had become quite proficient at it. It was if he had been born to be a thief, even though it had been forced on him. So far in his career as a thief he hadn't been caught, and it was good he hadn't. The price would be one of his hands._

_This time was different though. His normally practiced routine and adept body motions were ruined as the flow of the crowd, which was almost always the same, was interrupted by someone not going with the flow. _

_Two bodies collided, and they both hit the ground hard. The cries of shock from both youths was enough to alert everyone in the area, and all eyes turned down on them. The thief realized that if he the elderly man realized the bread was his, at this point there would be no escape for him._

_The thief, his hair covered by a turban with a small extension that covered half of his face_, _was startled to see that he had knocked over an older foreign girl. She was startlingly attractive, and appeared to be Asian. _

"_Itai..." The girl groaned and sat up, rubbing her shoulder. Immediately another Asian was at her side, this one being a boy about Nick's age, perhaps slightly younger. He put his hands on her and spoke in rushed urgent tones._

"_Anegimi...kimi kenzai?" The girl nodded, and so he helped her to her feet. Then the boy turned towards the thief, his violet eyes glaring daggers at him. Then he swung a fist, catching the boy in the jaw. Caught off guard he took the blow hard, and fell to the ground, his lip split and bleeding._

_The boy glared down at him, pointing his finger. "Zamawomiro_! _Hiretsukan..." He turned back to his elder sister, once again smiling. The girl gave him an admonishing look and gave the thief a hand up._

_She smiled at him and then spoke to him in lilting broken English, obviously realizing from his skin tone that he wasn't Egyptian. "I apologize for brother. Sometimes very protective. Means well, overdoes it however. Apologize greatly I do. I am called Hikari."_

_Although he was a bit thrown by her awkward command of the English language, he found himself somewhat smitten by her beauty and her kindness. "I'm Nick. Nice to meet you, and don't worry about your brother, I've taken worse hits before."_

_The brother scowled at him, and then shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nannari..." Although Nick didn't know the language, he was able to understand tone of voice. He could understand being protective about family, especially considering he no longer had one._

_Hikari gave him another smile, and then turned away with her brother. "Goodbye, have a sunny day!" She waved, and the two departed, weaving through the crowd. _

_It occurred to Nick quite suddenly that throughout all that the attention of the crowd had drifted, and he would have been able to make a getaway. Not only that, but the girl had been wearing a pendant that looked to be solid gold, and would have been worth quite a bit. But he had been distracted, and had missed his opportunity to get away. "Damn it..."_

"_You dropped your bread." Nick looked over his shoulder, and nearly coughed up a lung in shock. Standing in front of him holding out the bread he had stolen was the same elderly man that he had taken the bread from in the first place. The knowing smile on the man's face told Nick that the old fellow knew exactly where the bread came from._

"_You can have this bread along with all the other things that come with a home, provided you're willing to help me run my shop. My old body gets tired easily, and some things are easier for a youth such as yourself. I need a pair of young hands to help out around the shop." He smiled and patted Nick on the head before picking up his groceries and starting to walk away._

"_But I..." He stopped, uncertain of what to say. The old man turned around, a quizzical look on his face._

"_Well, are you coming or not?"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin completed his draw, his eyes widening in shock as he realized what had just occurred. Somehow he had just witness an event from Nick's past, and though it didn't tell him much about the teen, it did tell him that some of the boy's life had been hard. _'But how did I see all that?'_

He contemplated what he had seen, ignoring the impatient looks he was receiving. _'Is so much connected? And what happened to leave the boy without a family? Is that what he blames on me?'_

"I set one card face down. Turn end!" He barely seemed to notice as Nick started his own turning, ejecting a card from his deck according to the effect of Freed the Matchless General. His mind was focused on that moment in the past.

"Take the pain Sumatin! Each Vengeance Token can only last one turn, so now that my new turn has started my old token dies, inflicting a total of five hundred life points damage to you and restoring that much to me!" Dark energy rushed through Dalin's body, and Nick got his recharge. (DLP: 3750, NLP: 3300)

"Time to bring out another one. Here's my next Vengeance Token(500/500)!" The black kanji of vengeance appeared, and this time it was stronger than any previous one. If it blew up next turn, then Dalin might just lose eight hundred or more life points. (NLP: 3100)

"Now for the fourth of the five Dark Scorpions, taken by the power of my general! I summon Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow(1000/1000), who now gains a five hundred point boost!" A skinny little blonde fellow with a wooden hammer now stood next to Cliff, nearly completing the set.

"Now, Freed the Matchless General will attack your X, Angel of Fear!" Dalin nodded, and casually slid the last card in his hand into the graveyard. X gazed upon the monsters on Nick's field, and each of them cowered away from him in fear.

"Once more I discard half my hand rounded up to prevent your attacks for the turn according to the effect of X, Angel of Fear. My hand is now empty, so if I set a card next turn you become safe from the Terror Counterstrike ability." He appeared completely confident, even though his next draw would determine whether he could survive the next turn or not.

"Your turn Sumatin, see if you can make it count. If you fail to do so, I certainly wouldn't care." He was confident in his chances at victory. After all, he had two set cards, two monsters with over two thousand attack points, and three other monsters to boot. Not only that, but he had the immense power of the Seal of Vengeance.

All Dalin had was a single set card, one monster with over two thousand points and two weaklings that couldn't get past his front defense. His hand was also empty, meaning he had no options to draw from. _'The advantage is mine, and soon the duel will be as well!'_

The angel duelist, the Duel King himself, didn't draw. Instead he stared into Nick's lone eye, and asked the question that he had to have the answer to. "What did I do that has caused you so much pain and made you hate me so much?"

The response he got was far from positive, not that he had expected a positive response. Nick's anger caused his energy to burn off his body, and the ground beneath their feet shook as his power was unleashed. "DO NOT PASS YOURSELF OFF AS AN INNOCENT!"

Dalin didn't bother to respond. It was best to let his opponent rage and eventually get to the point. "You...you act like you're innocent of any crime, but you're the wicked one here! You took everything I had from me and cast me into the abyss to flounder, grasping for a ray of hope!"

"And you found that ray of hope in your path of vengeance. Your past is shadowed from me, so I know not what grievance I have done to you. But know this: my past is also shadowed away from myself. All that I once was is gone, and I remember nothing of it."

"You say that, but I know it's just another lie! You're trying to make me doubt, but I know in my heart that it was you, I know no matter what that my target is Dalin Imaki Sumatin, the bastard who murdered my parents before my very eyes!" The burning fire in Nick's eye told Dalin all he needed to know. Nick believed what he was saying.

The fire of conviction is always powerful. Yet conviction does not make something true. Dalin had no way of knowing if Nick was simply placing this upon him as a scapegoat, or whether in truth Dalin Imaki Sumatin was responsible. The trouble was, outside of a dead man's word, Dalin had no way of knowing if that was even his true name.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_I activate my magic card, Necromancy, raising four random monsters from your cemetery to the field in defense mode!" A deep but muffled voice intoned these words, and four monsters, each one a rodent, were placed down on the other side of the field._

_Nick Selket, appearing about sixteen, stood on the sidelines, watching the duel take place. On one side was the man who had defeated him in the semi-finals, a duelist who used an Earth Deck. The man had gotten lucky with one draw, winning by a bare margin._

_This man's opponent in the final match, the one who had just played Necromancy, played an obscure deck type. So far he had merely defended and played cards that destroyed the opponent's monsters. He had four cards in hand and no monsters on the field, while his opponent now had four defense monsters and a Millennium Shield(0/3000) as well._

"_Prepare to feel my power. I activate Stop Defense, forcing your Millennium Shield into attack mode." The Earth Deck user reached down and shifted his monster from a horizontal to a vertical position. With no cards face down the man was now in danger, but he had all 2000 of his life points remaining._

_Nick had come to this duel once again seeking the murderer of his parents. All the same people from the tournament that took place when his parents were killed were also here. However, Nick had his eyes on the strange duelist. Wrapped in white cloth that covered everything but his eyes, he was an imposing figure of greater than six feet in height._

_His eyes were a piercing green color, and seemed to freeze his very soul. It was those eyes that made Nick believe this might be the man. He had no way to know for sure, but those eyes felt familiar. _

"_Now, I activate Defense Breaker and Tide of Weakening. This card combo will show you just how powerful I really am." He placed the two magic cards down in front of him, and the ref took note of this. The man's opponent looked nervous, as he didn't know what was coming._

"_Tide of Weakening is a continuous magic card that allows a monster to lose any number of attack points, no matter what. Defense Breaker destroys all face-up defense monsters on the opponent's field." The Earth user nodded and picked up his four newly summoned monsters and placed them into his cemetery pile._

"_When a monster revived by Necromancy is destroyed I can reduce the attack power of one monster on the opponent's field by six hundred points. Since I destroyed all four, and I have Tide of Weakening in play, I can now reduce Millennium Shield's attack power by twenty-four hundred." Nick now realized what was intended. With a shockingly weak power of negative twenty-four hundred, any monster could crush and destroy Millennium Shield for the win._

"_There's more. I play Kingdom of Undeath, which lets me take one undead monster from my deck and play it on the field, regardless of costs for it." He fanned his deck out and deftly picked the card he wanted. He reshuffled his deck and returned it to the normal position._

"_I summon Berserk Dead Dragon(3500/0). His effect would have let me blow away all your monsters anyways, but I wanted it to really hurt. So Berserk Dead Dragon now destroys Millennium Shield for a total of fifty-nine hundred damage." The man's opponent dropped his head in shame, having been defeated by such a wide margin in the final round of the tournament._

_The referee stepped up and lifted the big man's hand into the air and intoned in a clear voice: "And the winner is Dalin Imaki Sumatin!"_

_In that moment those green eyes met Nick's, and Nick swore he saw the man smirk. There was a spark of recognition in those eyes, and of amusement. "Dalin Imaki Sumatin..."_

_His world seemed frozen until the older man brushed by him and whispered as he passed. "If you pick a fight you can't win, you're bound to lose something you can't get back. Like an eye."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin closed his eyes for a moment, letting the image fade away. The voice had been too quiet and too muffled to be recognized. The eyes could be anyone's. There was still no way for him to know if that man was him, but he did know the reason Nick believed he was responsible.

"I'm beginning to understand at last. But not everything can be easily resolved, and without the knowledge of my past I cannot be considered the same person, even if I am responsible! And I must win this duel, so forgive me as I unleash the vengeance of my own angels upon you!" He snapped his fingers, and his face down card snapped up.

"Angelic Rage! Now my angels are allowed the ability to attack you directly, even if you have monsters in play. Farewell Nikolas Selket, and sleep well in shadow!" The three monsters launched their individual attacks at Nick, ready to burn away his life points.

Uranus used a wave of good energy, while Venus struck out with a tri-focused beam of light, and X unleashed a blast of darkness. All three attacks converged on Nick, and if they connected this duel would be over.

"I'm not so easily destroyed as you seem to think. I activate one of the strongest abilities of my Seal of Vengeance. Vengeance Death Strike!" All around them the Seal began to glow, and the attacks faded away. Dalin's three angels began to shake violently as the counters on their bodies lit up.

"Vengeance Death Strike will destroy every Hate Counter in play, and destroy every monster that has one attached! Let's see your monsters burn!" The angels shattered into pixels, barely getting a chance to scream in agony. But as Dalin knew from earlier in the duel, their deaths were about to be avenged.

"I'm sure you remember the effect of Seal of Vengeance. Since your monsters were destroyed, their spirits will now seek vengeance against you. Total up their levels and you'll know just how much pain you're about to feel!" Three angelic spirits, with eyes shadowed and red, now flew in a circle around Dalin.

"Uranus was a level four, Venus was a level three, and X was a level eight. Therefore I receive fifteen hundred points of damage." The moment he completed saying this the three spirits rushed through his body, taking him to one knee as they drained his life force away from him. (DLP: 2350)

"How pathetic. Now that you've failed at that, would you care to end your turn?" Dalin slid a card onto his disk, and it appeared in front of him. It was now the only thing between him and each of Nick's monsters.

Nick placed his hand next to his deck, and it proceeded to spit a card out of his deck for him in place of his draw phase. This was it, the moment that Dalin had known would be coming. "Thanks to the effect of Freed I now have the final piece of the puzzle. Not that it matters."

He threw the card down onto his Duel Pod, and the monster was summoned up. Clad in similar gray armor and red pants, this warrior was different than the other three. This one was a woman, and had long black hair and a whip in her hands. "This is Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800)."

A bond of soul energy now created a circuit between Nick and his five monsters, connecting each one of them together. Freed seemed an outsider to this, and the now united Dark Scorpions glared at Dalin with glowing red eyes. "With the power of the Seal of Vengeance my monsters now have nearly twelve thousand total attack points."

"I had something all planned out for you, but it appears it isn't even needed. You can't handle the strength of the Seal of Vengeance let alone the strength of the Dark Scorpions. In just one moment all six of my monsters will attack you, and no single set card can stop them all! Face it Sumatin, you're going to lose, and I'm going to have my revenge." The scorpions and Nick all began to laugh, anticipating the soon to be achieved revenge.

"Nikolas Selket, I am a sending of justice, and therefore I am protected by the powers of the light. Strive as hard as you wish to defeat me, but in the end it is I who shall claim victory. I am prepared for your attack, and I do not bluff." Nick sneered, feeling the energy flowing off Dalin.

"You're no sending of justice! The justice to be dealt is mine, and I am its sending! I am a weapon of justice, sent to strike you down for the sins of your past! Now greet your forebears as you reach your deserved resting place. GO TO HELL!"

And six monsters began their charge towards Dalin's life points.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I'm cooking people with gasoline here...

Translations(by sentence)

1st: Ouch...

2nd: Big sister, are you well?

3rd: Serves you right! Bastard...

4th: Whatever...

WolfGeneral: See, sometimes it's fun to root for the villain.

Time Mage: It was either Yami Bakura or a random civilian, and Yami B. is always cooler than a random civilian.

The White Mage: D'harim didn't get a new deck...

G.O.T. Nick: Bah, not Toons.

VoidTemplar: Yep, Taichi is a cheap little bastard.

Original Cards

Dalin: Uranus-Angel of Good Will, Energy Absorption, Angelic Rage

Mystery Guy: Kingdom of Undeath, Tide of Weakening, Defense Break


	26. Collapse! The Corrupted Darkness Game

Author's Notes: Honestly I was going to write a chapter of Echoes, but I made a decision on this and some cool new music made me want to write this chapter. So here it comes.

_**Chapter Twenty-Five: Collapse! The Corrupted Darkness Game!**_

_Taichi wasn't silent about it, he roared with laughter, his eyes ablaze with something resembling madness. "This is the best thing yet! Her love of the game and competition has been drained away and turned to hate! She isn't even willing to play the game anymore!"_

_Kirani pushed herself up to her feet and began to lower her hand towards her deck. Kai recognized the action, seeing that it wasn't just fingers for a draw. It was her entire hand, and it was about to cover her deck. "Kirani! Don't surrender!"_

_She looked back over at him, and rage blazed in those defeated eyes. "What's the point? This game is responsible for all the crap that has happened. Without it Drake would still be here, Serenity would be, and so would everyone else taken while playing it! This game is responsible, and so there's no point in continuing!"_

"_If you just surrender then you'll be added to that list of people taken! It wasn't the game, it was these people. Don't lash out at the game, lash out at them. Show Taichi your power, show him your duelist's heart!" She turned away, not wanting to listen to him. Her hand continued its descent, and it seemed to Kai to move in slow motion._

_Everything was slowed down, the falling of her hand, Taichi leaning forward in anticipation, even the shifting of the darkness was slowed. But the one thing that didn't slow was Kai's mind, and he reached a conclusion quite suddenly._

"_Drake would never have surrendered!"_

_Kirani's eyes went wide and her hand stopped its descent. She stared ahead blankly and he saw her mouth move in a whisper that only she could hear. "Drake...would never have surrendered?"_

_Staring straight ahead she saw a faint ghost-like form, one that she was sure only she could see. The ghostly Drake drifted forwards, passing through the platform to stand right in front of her. He pressed his forehead against hers and whispered reassuring words to her. "You said it yourself, the only way to defeat a nightmare is to smother it in dreams. So show him the strength of your dreams."_

_She closed her eyes, and when they opened the ghost Drake was nowhere to be seen. Both Taichi and Kai were staring at her expectantly, each one hoping for a different reaction. Her gaze fell to her deck, and a smile started to appear. The smile that had made Drake fall in love with her in the first place._

"_Taichi...I won't bow down now. I'll show you the power I possess, the strength of my dreams." She said this all in a whisper, not caring whether he heard her or not. She needed to say it for herself and herself alone._

"_Taichi, it's my turn, my duel, and now...it's my draw!"_

In her mind's eye Kirani saw a spectral hand reach down with hers and at the same time they placed their fingers on the top card. She could feel Drake with her in this draw, and across from her Taichi's eyes went wide with awe. _'Such raw power! This is what I've been waiting for!'_

Kirani snapped the card up in front of her eyes, and then slammed it onto the field. "I activate The Gathering Storm! According to its effect I get to draw five cards and special summon any monsters named 'Gilford' that I draw, although none of them can attack."

One of her two monsters faded away, and she drew her five cards. However, one glance told her all she needed to know about her new hand. "The cost of this card is the sacrifice of one monster. And right now I won't be summoning any monsters, since I didn't draw any."

Down below the platform Kai grinned, hearing the confidence in Kirani's voice. It seemed like she was back to normal. _'With a hand of five magic or trap cards she just might stand a chance of defeating that behemoth of Taichi's.'_

Taichi smirked, gleefully awaiting Kirani's next move. "I'm almost glad you've overcome the power of this Darkness Game, as it makes the duel more interesting. But my question is, how did you manage to overcome it? That shouldn't be possible."

Kirani closed her eyes and fanned her hand out in front of her. When her eyes opened seconds later, Taichi could have sworn they turned violet for a moment. "Because I'm not dueling alone!"

The Knight of Air gasped in shock, taking a step back as he saw a form appear behind her. In his leather jacket he was the very image of the duelist that had defeated him previously. "Drake...impossible..."

"Nothing is impossible, and with Drake and I dueling together your Psychotic Devil Kuriboh is about to go down, and with it all of your life points!" With her declaration made, she was now ready to go on the offensive and prove her power.

"Before I go any farther it's time I sacrifice Gilford-Soul of Lightning to special summon a Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) from the graveyard!" The electric form of her current monster filled out, becoming life-like as the mighty warrior of lightning returned to the field once again.

"So what? Your Gilford may normally be a powerful monster, but against my Psychotic Devil Kuriboh it's useless. You can't even use magic or traps to stop my beast, so it's invincible!" He snickered, and the deadly beast slobbered all over the field, its saliva making the ground smoke and hiss.

"Useless? Invincible? Neither of these words can be used to describe our two monsters. My Gilford is far from useless, and there's still one method left to defeat your monster. Through battle, and that's exactly what I intend to do!" She selected a card from her hand, and then slapped it down in front of her.

Taichi narrowed his eyes, ready to see exactly what she could do. "Show me if you can defeat my monster, I'd enjoy seeing that. You'd need a monster with over forty-five hundred attack to beat it, and even then you'd still fall short of your declaration to defeat me this turn."

"We'll see about that. First I'm going to equip Gilford the Lightning with his mighty weapon, Lightning Blade! With it equipped Gilford gains eight hundred attack points, setting him at a powerful thirty-six hundred!" A thick broadsword appeared in Gilford's hand, and it crackled with electricity. Psychotic Devil Kuriboh just growled, unimpressed by this boost.

"You still fall short girly. My Psychotic Devil Kuriboh has nine hundred more attack points than your Gilford does. Unless you happen to have two more equip cards in your hand, it's not very likely that you can make your claim come true." He leaned forwards, bracing himself against the platform. His sneer was broad, showing just how little he believed in her declaration.

Kai stood silently watching the duel continue. He didn't understand exactly how she had overcome the Darkness Game, or what Drake had to do with it, but after all the strange things he had seen he was willingly to believe that Drake really was dueling with her now. _'Can she really defeat Psychotic Devil Kuriboh? It has a strength equal to Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon after all...'_

"Have a little faith in my Taichi, I'm no amateur duelist. I'm also not predictable, because I have no intention of equipping Gilford with another card. No, I've got a normal magic card to play that will push my creature to his limits. Go, Titan's Storm!" Gilford threw back his head and bellowed to the sky as lightning crackled through him, making his muscles bulge.

"Titan's Storm will boost Gilford's attack by fifteen hundred for the duration of the turn! Now it's your turn to do the math, because my Gilford just got more than enough power to defeat you!" The mighty warrior clenched his fists at his sides, causing his power to surge. So great was the energy unleashed that Psychotic Devil Kuriboh was forced back a few feet.

Taichi and Kai both stared in shock, their gaze settling on the now strongest monster on the field. At the same time both shared a single thought. _'She actually did it!'_

"Here's where I show you how I'm going to defeat your monster and you in this turn. The magic card Lightning Strikes Twice! It allows one Gilford the Lightning on my field to attack twice during this turn. You ready? Because Gilford certainly is!" Her warrior raised his right arm and unsheathed the long sword from his back, holding it and the Lightning Blade at the ready.

"Time to destroy Psychotic Devil Kuriboh. Gilford, Thunderbolt Cut!" Gilford shot straight into the air, and then dived down towards Taichi's monster. With a single stroke of his blade he cut through the massive black furred beast, and it shattered into millions of pieces. (TLP: 4667)

"Gilford, follow through with an attack on Taichi's life points. Thunderbolt Cut once again!" Gilford unfurled his body from the crouched position he had landed in, and then swept the Lightning Blade sideways. Streaks of lightning shot out from the blade and coursed through Taichi's body.

"I'm evil you stupid bitch! I never die!" He flipped the one card in his hand around, showing the furry little form of Kuriboh(300/200). He let it slip from his hands and into his cemetery pile, and the electricity stopped flowing. Thanks to Kuriboh's effect he had been saved from defeat.

"Congratulations on defeating Psychotic Devil Kuriboh, that's not something that has ever happened before. In turn I've had my ultimate creatures defeated. Ultima Kuriboh, Knight of Kuriboh, and now Psychotic Devil Kuriboh. But beware Kirani, for one final ultimate beast lurks within my deck." He smirked, not seeming to care that he was now utterly defenseless.

Kirani was also perfectly confident, and she took the remaining cards in her hand and slipped them down, one to each side of the Lightning Blade equip card. "I'm fine with that. Bring on whatever ultimate creatures you like, I'll be ready and waiting for them."

Her enemy nodded briefly and then drew his next card, making it the only thing in his hand or on his field. Taichi had yet to look at it, he simply watched Kirani with an intrigued look on his face as if he was searching for something. "I wonder...can you hear me Drake?"

He whispered it so low that neither Kai nor Kirani heard it. In response to the question he felt a presence near him, and as he looked to his left he found a ghostly Drake sitting on the railing of the platform. _"I can hear you loud and clear Taichi. Go ahead and play that card you've just drawn, but know that Kirani will come back and defeat you."_

"I'll have to settle with defeating her when she's using your help to remain sane and untouched by this Darkness Game. After all, I won't be getting a chance to duel you. It's really a pity, I was looking forward to a rematch." The ghost Drake grinned, and then faded away, leaving Taichi to continue his turn.

"I think this is what they call a top deck. I activate Duel Rebirth, which costs half of my life points to be activated." A bright light swept across the field, hiding everything from view. Kirani grimaced, trying to see exactly what was happening within the light. (TLP: 2334)

"Thanks to this card we now shuffle every card in our hands, fields, and cemeteries back into our decks and draw five new cards. With this added help, it won't be long before I unleash my final ultimate monster." He smirked and picked up his graveyard, sliding it together with his deck and shuffling it up.

The light faded away, and Kirani's field was now empty. She had five new cards as compensation, but it wasn't much compensation since all her hard work had been undone in one single play. _'I'm totally open for an attack, but it's a good thing all his basic Kuribohs are small fry monsters.'_

"I hope you're ready for pain! I summon Kuriboh Soldier(1800/1500) in attack mode!" The familiar brown hairball was summoned up in front of Taichi. The distinguishing feature of this creature was its attire. A belt of grenades was strapped around its tiny body, a missile launcher and a rifle were also slung over it. Also, in the cute demon's teeth was a shiny knife.

"How the hell does it carry all of that stuff and keep bouncing like that? What does it think it is anyway? Rambo?" The Kuriboh let out an indignant squeak, and bounced up and down even faster. Taichi smirked and gestured towards Kirani.

"Go ahead my little fellow, teach her your strength. KuRambo Assault!" His monster hopped over to Kirani and started snapping at one of the grenades with its mouth. But lacking a neck it was having trouble getting to the pin.

Kuriboh Soldier's entire body was shaking as it desperately tried to get the pin free. Kirani watched in amusement as its efforts continued. Finally it succeeded in pulling the pin out, and did a little dance in excitement. Taichi blinked and rolled his eyes. "Little guy, you forgot to take the grenade out of your belt."

It squealed in terror, but it was too late to correct its mistake. The grenade went off, smothering it and Kirani in an explosion. It bounced out of the smoke, ricocheting and coming to a halt back on Taichi's field. It was blackened and charred, its eyes swirls, and a stream of smoke coming from its body. "That's got to hurt." (KLP: 2500)

Kirani shook her head to clear it, and grabbed a rail. Using it she was able to pull herself back to her feet, her legs quivering beneath her. Although the attack had been comical, it had also been effective and painful. "You done yet?"

"Certainly, just let me set a card on the field first, then you can take your turn." Taichi smiled condescendingly and lay a single card behind his creature. Once he had finished that he gave Kirani a mocking bow, and motioned for her to begin.

With a shaking hand Kirani drew her card. She took a single glance at it and placed it onto her field horizontally. The card appeared in holographic form, and an indicator showed up on Taichi's side of the platform. "I set that monster face down."

Her eyes scanned her five remaining cards, and finally settled on two that she could make use of. "I'll also place two cards face down. Back to you Taichi." Two more cards appeared in front of her, and then Taichi was drawing his next card.

The Kuriboh duelist smiled at whatever was in his four card hand, and then he placed a card down next to Kuriboh Soldier. "Here's my next creature. Kuriboh Archer(900/900). His effect is that I can discard one card from my hand each turn to destroy one magic or trap card on your field."

His newest monster was just a regular Kuriboh, the only addition was a large bow next to it, planted firmly into the ground. "I think I'll do exactly that, and discard a card to eliminate your leftmost set card."

Kuriboh Archer hopped to the side and settled itself into the bow. Kuriboh Soldier approached and using its teeth pulled back the string. "Go ahead Kuriboh Soldier, I'm sure the archer is ready. Fire!"

The soldier unclenched its teeth, and the snap of the bow sent Kuriboh Archer flying as the arrow. With incredible force it smashed into Kirani's face down card, blowing it into tiny pieces. She grimaced and slipped her Mirror Force trap into the cemetery.

With that taken care of, Taichi felt perfectly confident in unleashing his attack. "Kuriboh Soldier, attack her face down monster!" The little furball bounced across the field, but a sudden wash of water pushed it back to its starting place.

"My Squall Barrier let me negate your attack. Its secondary effect allows me to add one monster to my hand from my deck with the word 'Gilford' in it's name." She picked up her deck and skimmed through it before coming to the card that she wanted. Then she reshuffled her deck, and faced Taichi once again.

"Very well, I don't think I'll risk an attack by my Kuriboh Archer since its attack isn't all that fantastic. Unfortunately for you my Kuriboh Soldier must be the first target of an attack as long as its face-up on the field." He smirked at this declaration, and Kirani grimaced. That meant the card she had picked up wasn't going to help as much as she would have wished.

Kirani drew another card, and then she slapped one of them down onto her field. "I summon Gilford of Thunder(1800/400), allowing me to draw a card off the top of my deck and one from the bottom."

She drew the two new cards, boosting her hand and giving her more options. A quick glance and she knew what her next move could be. "I play Pot of Greed. I'm sure you know what that does."

Taichi rolled his eyes as she drew again. He didn't care how many cards she drew, it wouldn't stop him in the end. _'No matter what she draws she won't be able to stop my final ultimate creature. Only two cards remain before I can summon it, and then she'll be finished.'_

"You're so confident Taichi, well I'll strip that confidence from you. I play Enter the Storm at a cost of one thousand life points to summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) and activate his effect!" A bolt of lightning descended from above and obliterated Taichi's two creatures. A second bolt struck Kirani's field, and was revealed as the warrior of lightning. (KLP: 1500)

"He can't attack this turn, but I don't have a problem with that. I activate the effect of Gilford the Swift(1400/500), letting me special summon him to the field." The lithe warrior with his rapier now stood next to the stronger Gilfords. His summoning gave Kirani even more attack power to use.

"Gilford the Swift and Gilford of Thunder will now attack you directly!" Before the two warriors even got a chance to start their attack Taichi had already reached down and flipped over his single set card.

"I'm sorry, but that's not allowed. My set card is Kuri Clan Protection, which prevents you from attacking me this turn, provided I have a Kuriboh on the field or in my cemetery. Looks like your attack was worthless." Kirani nodded, and then placed two cards down on her field, giving her a total of three set cards.

Taichi picked up his next card, and then looked at it with a faint degree of interest. Finally he made his decision and placed the card in front of him. To Kirani's surprise a gray furred Kuriboh appeared, with a yellow bandana on its head and an eye patch. "This is Kuri Bandit(1000/500)."

Kirani waited for several seconds, silence ruling the duel. At last she decided there was no reason to continue waiting. "And? Does it do anything?"

"Oh, yes of course. I'll save it for later though, and just set a card face down. Your turn." His attention seemed oddly interrupted during this move, causing Kirani to wonder exactly what was going on in that twisted brain of his. What was it that he was waiting for?

The female duelist started her turn, and immediately knew what to do. "I play Eye of the Storm, which can only be played if I have a Gilford the Lightning on the field. That Gilford can't attack this turn, but in exchange I get to destroy all of your magic and trap cards!"

Taichi nodded, picking up his set card and placing it in the grave even before Gilford unleashed a burst of lightning upon it. Kirani narrowed her eyes, once again confused by Taichi's strange actions. _'He's never so silent. He gloats, he acts out, what the hell is going on in his mind?'_

"Gilford the Swift will attack Kuri Bandit and cut it down!" The warrior slashed his rapier down at the bandit, but it suddenly vanished and the attack slashed harmlessly through the air. It did no damage to Taichi's life points either.

"I can sacrifice Kuri Bandit at any time to draw five cards. Any monsters I draw are discarded." Taichi drew five cards from his deck, and after on look added the last card in his hand to them. He didn't discard a single card amongst them.

"Since Swift's attack failed, Gilford of Thunder will attack you directly!" Taichi barely even blinked as the attack struck his chest, blasting him into the railing. The attack also took its toll on his life points, draining them severely. (TLP: 534)

"Since I've made that attack, I suppose its back to you Taichi." The young duelist nodded slowly and drew, pushing his hand up to the limit of seven cards. Unless he had just drawn a monster, each and every one of those cards was a magic or trap card.

"Now...that's interesting. I activate Kuri Clan Summit. According to this card's effect I get to draw one card for every two Kuribohs in my cemetery plus one for the base of this card. I have four in the cemetery, plus the base means I draw three cards." He picked up three more cards, boosting his hand once again.

"I activate Payment of Debt in order to draw an additional three cards." Once more he drew three cards, sending his hand to an impressive size of eleven cards. Kirani and Kai each began to wonder what he was up to. So far this turn all he had been doing was drawing cards.

"Next is Pot of Greed, to draw two. Then Graceful Charity for three cards, with a discard of two. I follow that up with Renewal of Spell, and at a cost of five hundred life points activate Kuri Clan Summit from my grave again, this time with two more Kuribohs in my grave." His life points trickled as he drew several cards in quick succession, drawing four for what seemed like the coup de gras. (TLP: 34)

Kirani stared in awe at Taichi's fifteen card hand. It was rare to see someone holding that many cards, and there was no telling just how dangerous they were. _'He's searching for something still and he hasn't gotten it. It must be that final ultimate creature he mentioned.'_

Taichi looked through each of his fifteen cards, and sneered mentally. Despite all his drawing he was still one card short of the combination he needed to unleash his final ultimate monster and finish her off. _'I only have one more draw card left in my hand, and if I don't draw it now I'll be really pissed off!'_

"I activate Ransom of Life, paying half of my life points to draw six cards from my deck. It seems like a steep price to pay, but with only thirty four life points it isn't much." He picked up six cards off his rapidly dwindling deck, and thereby raised his hand size to an enormous twenty cards. He had gone through at least half his deck so far, if not more than that. (TLP: 17)

Kai gritted his teeth as an unsettling feeling crept up his spine. It was one of those feelings you get that is always a premonition of a something bad happening. _'He's wasting his life points so casually just to draw cards. Whatever it is he's trying to get must be incredibly important to him.'_

Taichi stared at his new cards for a moment, and then he began to burst out laughing. His hysterical laughter was more like his normal self, and both other duelists knew that whatever it was he had been searching for...he had just found it. "Prepare to meet your demise at the hands of my final ultimate beast!"

He took a card from his hand and slammed it down, smirking as its image appeared on the field. "I activate Revelation of Cuteness! This ritual magic card costs twelve levels of Kuribohs as a cost. So I discard my level ten Psychotic Devil Kuriboh along with my level five Kuri Dragon!"

He discard the two named cards, and then he took another card from his hand and placed it down on the field. "The long awaited concluding ultimate creature of my deck. God of Cuteness-Kuriboh(300/200)!"

There was no simple way to describe Taichi's newest monster. It was like a normal Kuriboh, only everything about it screamed of cuteness. Kirani could scarcely take her eyes off it, that was how cute it was. Only Kai's assuredness of his masculinity allowed him to take his eyes away from it long enough to really think about it.

"Your God of Cuteness has the same stats as a normal Kuriboh, yet it's a twelve star ritual monster who needed specifically Kuribohs as the cost of the ritual. What does it do?" Taichi smirked, glad to be able to explain the powers of his new and potentially dangerous Kuriboh.

"Using the unlimited power of cuteness my God of Cuteness will force Kirani to surrender the duel. Luckily for her it takes five turns for this effect to activate. Unluckily for her my God of Cuteness cannot be attacked at any point in time, nor can it be hit by effects." With this revelation, Kirani knew that she had only a limited amount of time. In five turns, she had to win or die.

"When God of Cuteness is summoned I must take all monsters in my hand and deck and send them to the cemetery. So here I go." He plucked three cards from his hand along with about a dozen or more from his deck and dropped them into his cemetery pile. Now his deck and hand were utterly magic and traps.

"I set five cards face down on the field, and then I end my turn. Since my hand size is so great, I'll discard until I reach the limit of six cards in hand." Once more he dumped a large group of cards into the cemetery, leaving him with six in hand.

Kirani drew, and she felt a little bit of her will to fight leech away under the effect of the Kuriboh god. That meant it was officially turn one. "I flip my face down monster, Wise One Gilford(700/400) and use its effect to add a magic card to my hand."

She managed to the find the card close to the top, and slapped it onto her field without a second thought. "I activate Heavy Storm, blowing away every magic and trap card on the field." Her own cards along with Taichi's were blasted apart, leaving only monsters left to do battle.

"Since none of my monsters can attack yours, I'll just end my turn." Although she had obliterated the threat of his set cards, she still had no method in mind to defeat Taichi before her time was up. After all, how did you defeat a monster that couldn't be attacked or effected? Her options were slim, and nothing was coming to mind.

Taichi drew, and then held up two fingers, indicating that turn number two had just struck. "Well now, this is certainly interesting. But then again, not overly helpful. I set five more cards face down and end my turn."

As soon as Kirani drew, Taichi lifted up a third finger. She was starting to run out of time. "I can only summon Mage of Lightning-Gilford(1600/1300). Other than that, I just switch Wise One Gilford to defense and end my turn." She placed a card face down, and that was all.

She felt her heart race as Taichi drew, and a fourth finger met the others. At the end of Kirani's next turn she would lose the duel, and unless she figured out a way to defeat him before then, it was all over. _'Drake, how can I defeat his creature in a single turn? No card in my deck can defeat a monster that can't be touched by any effect or attack!'_

"Time is running short Kirani, and I have everything set up for my victory. There's no possible way for you to win, so you might as well surrender now. My turn is over, and at the end of yours, the duel will be as well." He smirked, utterly confident in his success. And even Kai had to admit that the situation seemed impossible to overcome.

Kirani's hand shook as she reached for her next card. This one card would determine the entire duel, and she knew for a fact that no card in her entire deck could defeat his monster. _'Please Drake, help me!'_

In response to her request, the gleaming ghost form of Drake stood beside her. He had a smile on his face, and he put his hand over hers. That touch helped calm her nerves, and her hand stopped shaking. _"Kirani, his monster is a god, just the same as Osiris, Obelisk, and Ra. Don't you remember how to deal with those monsters?"_

That was all she needed to hear, and Drake's form vanished again. His words had told her how to defeat this challenge and win the day. Now she just had to trust that she could get the cards she needed. _'Defeat the duelist, not the god. That's what I have to do'_

She held up her newest card, and then flipped it around to show it to Taichi. He shrugged, not caring about what he saw. As far as he was considered he had the duel won already. "Card of Demise lets me draw till I have five cards in my hand."

With a flick of the wrist her hand of five was displayed in front of her, and she saw what she needed to do. "Taichi, I have Gilford the Lightning, Mage of Lightning-Gilford, Gilford of Thunder, Gilford the Swift, and Wise One Gilford all on the field together. Do you know what that means?"

"Not a clue. Let me guess though. They'll have a reunion party? With dancing perhaps? I'm sure my God of Cuteness would love to join in, but the party would have to be short. After all, the duel is over at the end of this turn." Kirani didn't let his smirk or his confident attitude bother her. She knew what was going to happen.

"This duel is going to be over before then! I activate my set trap card, Formation of Lightning! I can only play this card when all five of these monsters are in play, and I can then remove all cards in your hand, on your field, and in your cemetery from the game!" A crackling band of energy surrounded the five monsters as they prepared for their assault.

"Your God of Cuteness remains immune, but at the simple cost of my battle phase I'm going to obliterate everything that stands between me and victory!" The band of power surged across the field, sweeping away everything in its path. When the lightning faded, Taichi was forced to set aside every card but his God of Cuteness and the remaining cards of his deck.

"What help could that possibly be? After all, you can't attack me or do anything else that might rid the field of my God of Cuteness. Since you can't beat it, you lose. It's that simple!" He threw back his head and started to laughing, confident in the knowledge that in moments the God of Cuteness would end the duel.

"That sure is a deadly monster, but I don't care. I have no intention of defeating it, instead I'm going to defeat you! My method of victory is going to be one attack by Gilford the Lightning!" The named monster unsheathed his weapon, and stepped out in front of the four other Gilfords.

"Do you need to have a flashback of less than a minute ago? Because you distinctly said that using Formation of Lightning causes you to forfeit your battle phase. Even if that weren't the case, God of Cuteness can't be attacked, so what's the point?" Kirani smirked as a reply, and took two cards from her hand.

"The reason I used Formation of Lightning was to make sure none of your face down cards would counter my next card combo. Here's the first one, and you should remember it. Lightning Strikes Twice will give Gilford the Lightning two battle phases this turn, and though one is forfeited the other is up for grabs!" Her warrior steadied his blade, ready to launch his attack at any moment.

Taichi rolled his eyes and then pointed sharply at his lone monster. "Are you deaf or just stupid? I said God of Cuteness cannot be attacked!"

"I'm not stupid Taichi, and I'm not deaf. But apparently you are, because I said I'd be defeating you, not God of Cuteness. This other card is how. It's called Heart of Lightning, Soul of Thunder!" Energy suddenly consumed Kirani's entire field, and when it vanished Gilford the Lightning was surrounded by a blue aura and was the only thing left.

"This magic card destroys all other cards in my hand and one my field, and means that this turn Gilford the Lightning's attack cannot be countered in any way. That's just the first part of the effect though." She smirked, and both Kai and Taichi waited in suspense for her declaration of the second half of the effect.

"The last part of the effect is that during this turn Gilford the Lightning may attack the opponent directly. So say goodbye Taichi, Ultimate Thunderbolt Cut!" The knight cried out in terror as Gilford swept his blade in an arc, sending a sweeping blade of lightning across the field. It went right past God of Cuteness, and blew Taichi clear off the platform. (TLP: 0)

"And that's all she wrote. Looks like I overcame your Darkness Game and won the duel, despite all your attempts. Now who's the weakling?" There were a few responses she could have expected, but laughter wasn't one of them.

"I'm not a puppet for Eikyuu, and I never have been. His intent is to strip mankind's free will to create a perfect order. But me? I've seen everything mankind is capable of, and I've come to a single conclusion. The only way to create order is to wipe out all of mankind, and thanks to the help of the Darkness Realm I will!" Kai and Kirani looked on in confusion as the symbol of power blazed to life on Taichi's forehead, and the Darkness around them shook.

"This whole duel was simply for the purpose of gathering power! Every move we made, every ounce of strength you put forth into this game just strengthened the darkness. The same can be said of me, and the stronger the monsters the better! Meanwhile I was fueling it with the Heart of Power, and now it's completely beyond my control! The Darkness will now spread across the planet, and all life will be trapped within its boundaries forever!"

Taichi's insane laughter continued up until something surprising happened. Kirani suddenly found herself standing on the ground, and someone else was on the platform. Taichi was also on the platform again, and he looked confused. "This is a Darkness Game, therefore it must end at some point. You shall be defeated at a Darkness Game, and this Darkness will be bound to do my will. That is the point of this game."

Kai and Kirani could only stare at the nearly nine foot tall red robed figure with a face represented only by a white mask. Taichi was also shocked by the appearance of this figure. "Eikyuu...you've penetrated my Darkness Game just to challenge me? So be it, and it will be Duel Monsters! All the better since you don't know how to play the game!"

Taichi shuffled up his deck and slammed it down, indicating that he was ready. Eikyuu tilted his head to the side slightly, and then a glowing deck of blue cards appeared in front of him on the platform. "This is correct. However, I will win." (TLP: 4000, ELP: 4000)

"If you say so, but I beg to differ. I'll start by playing the Seal of Orichalcos! Then I activate Level Substitute and Five Star Twilight, unleashing the five siblings!" Five multi-colored Kuribohs took shape before him, even as the Seal formed around them. Eikyuu didn't even seem to take note of this occurrence.

"Now I play Token Generation, and create five Kuriboh Tokens at a cost of 1000 life points. I combine them together with Polymerization to form King Kuriboh(2000/1200)!" The familiar armored spellcaster now stood right in the midst of the cute little puffballs. Its presence boosted the siblings by another five hundred points to a total of thirteen hundred attack points. (TLP: 3000)

"Since I have yet to summon this turn I'll summon Kuri General(500/500) whose effect boosts each of my Kuribohs by four hundred points. With his own boost plus the Seal and King Kuriboh he has 1900, King Kuriboh has 3400, and each sibling has 1700. But I'm still not done!" He snickered as his five siblings merged together, creating the incredibly demonic Kuribabylon.

"I don't know if math is your strong suit Eikyuu, but the combined powers of the siblings plus the boosts my monster gains after being created, Kuribablyon now has 9900 attack points! That's more than you could possibly handle!" Eikyuu didn't acknowledge Taichi, he merely drew a card from his blue deck.

Taichi noted that Eikyuu only had that single card in his hand, and he snickered. No need to let the idiot god know that each player was supposed to start the duel with five cards in their hand. That would be pointless. "I am Eikyuu, I am God of Order. Power is nothing to me."

Eikyuu raised his drawn card above his head, and a bright light shone from it. The light expanded like a wave, and in moments it filled the entire Seal. On the outside Kai and Kirani were left waiting and wondering, for they couldn't see a thing going on inside. Nor could they hear Eikyuu. They could hear Taichi though.

The two duelists waited on the edges of their proverbial seats as the battle continued within, still concealed from view. Taichi would occasionally yell out some insult, or a shout of surprise, or rage even. Yet they never heard anything from Eikyuu. _'I can't figure out who's winning by the things Taichi is saying. What's going on in there?'_

At the five minute mark, the light faded away, and for a brief moment they saw a shining form on Eikyuu's field before it too faded away. On the opposite side of the field Taichi was slumped over, a glazed looked in his eyes. "I was so close...so close. They all deserve to die...so why did I have to lose?" (TLP: 0)

Eikyuu looked down at Taichi curiously, and then cast his gaze upon Kirani and Kai. "This Darkness Game will collapse in but a few moments. In this realm I am not tangible, therefor you are safe. You are beneath me." His form faded away, giving them a clear view of his life point counter. (ELP: 10000)

Then the Darkness shattered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And that's all she wrote. At least for the moment.

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Yeah, Dalin does have that sometimes annoying ability to get out of any situation unharmed.

Time Mage: So many questions, so little time. One answer though. Wasn't Malik as that would have been like five or so years before Malik ever even ventured out from underground for the first time.

G.O.T. Nick: Yep, those kids were Drake and his sister. And yes, Drake's sister is named Hikari.

VoidTemplar: Strange doesn't even begin to cover it. Not as strange as Taichi though.

_Original Cards_

Kirani: The Gathering Storm, Titan's Storm, Lightning Strikes Twice, Squall Barrier, Gilford of Thunder, Enter the Storm, Gilford the Swift, Eye of the Storm, Wise One Gilford, Mage of Lightning-Gilford, Formation of Lightning, Heart of Lightning-Soul of Thunder

Taichi: Psychotic Devil Kuriboh, Duel Rebirth, Kuriboh Soldier, Kuriboh Archer, Kuri Clan Protection, Kuri Clan Summit, Payment of Debt, Renewal of Spell, Ransom of Life, Revelation of Cuteness, Kuri Dragon, God of Cuteness-Kuriboh, Level Substitute, Token Generation, King Kuriboh, Kuri General


	27. Scales of Justice

Author's Notes: Now, for the stunning conclusion to the Nick/Dalin duel.

_**Chapter Twenty-Six: Scales of Justice**_

_Nick placed his hand next to his deck, and it proceeded to spit a card out of his deck for him in place of his draw phase. This was it, the moment that Dalin had known would be coming. "Thanks to the effect of Freed I now have the final piece of the puzzle. Not that it matters."_

_He threw the card down onto his Duel Pod, and the monster was summoned up. Clad in similar gray armor and red pants, this warrior was different than the other three. This one was a woman, and had long black hair and a whip in her hands. "This is Dark Scorpion-Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800)."_

_A bond of soul energy now created a circuit between Nick and his five monsters, connecting each one of them together. Freed seemed an outsider to this, and the now united Dark Scorpions glared at Dalin with glowing red eyes. "With the power of the Seal of Vengeance my monsters now have nearly twelve thousand total attack points."_

"_I had something all planned out for you, but it appears it isn't even needed. You can't handle the strength of the Seal of Vengeance let alone the strength of the Dark Scorpions. In just one moment all six of my monsters will attack you, and no single set card can stop them all! Face it Sumatin, you're going to lose, and I'm going to have my revenge." The scorpions and Nick all began to laugh, anticipating the soon to be achieved revenge._

"_Nikolas Selket, I am a sending of justice, and therefore I am protected by the powers of the light. Strive as hard as you wish to defeat me, but in the end it is I who shall claim victory. I am prepared for your attack, and I do not bluff." Nick sneered, feeling the energy flowing off Dalin. _

"_You're no sending of justice! The justice to be dealt is mine, and I am its sending! I am a weapon of justice, sent to strike you down for the sins of your past! Now greet your forebears as you reach your deserved resting place. GO TO HELL!" _

_And six monsters began their charge towards Dalin's life points. _

Suddenly a shining wall of light swept upwards around Dalin, and each of the six monster's attacks bounced off of it, leaving the angel duelist unharmed. "My quick-play magic card Light Barrier prevents me from being attacked by monsters for the duration of the turn."

Nick snarled, his hands bunching into fists at seeing his attack deflected. "So be it! You're safe for now, but your field is empty and you have no cards in your hand. You're top decking, and that's a sure fire path to defeat!"

Dalin smiled slightly as he slipped a single card off the top of his deck, and then held it up facing Nick. "I've never really had a problem with top decking. Payment of Debt lets me draw three cards."

He picked up the top three cards of his deck and then fanned them out. He looked over the top of his cards at Nick, and began to speak. "Payment of Debt is a one in one hundred card. That means that only one hundred copies exist, and it's extremely rare. After all, three cards at no cost is quite a good effect. Unfortunately for you I have all the cards I need to defeat you."

'_If I continue to allow him to gain Hate Counters on my field his Vengeance Tokens will drain me faster than I can recover. I also run the risk of having my own monsters attack me. But thanks to an old opponent I know exactly how to fix that.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Dark energy flared up around the muscular duelist, and a grin circle appeared beneath his feet, before shooting out and encompassing him and Rose. Kai was struck by the expanding circle and hurled several feet away and onto his back. He gulped and looked up, seeing the fierce look on Dalin's face as he stared down Rose. A fierce look accompanied by the Seal of Orichalcos that appeared on his forehead and that of each of his monsters. "You shouldn't have given me this power, because now my monsters are strong enough to easily crush each and every one of yours! You're nothing compared to my new strength!"_

"_Is that so sugar? I don't think so. See, there are plenty of monsters who can gain dark power. But of all the angels that exist, only angels that aren't heavenly can gain dark power. Heavenly angels, that is light type ones, can't. If they do, they become fallen angels, or demons. And they are then cast from heaven, falling straight to Hell. And since your monsters are ALL heavenly angels, granting them dark power doesn't strength them...it kills them!" Dalin's fists squeezed tight together as his monster's cried out in pain, and were consumed by the darkness, vanishing from the field._

"_So that was your plan was it? To turn all my angels into fallen ones and strip them of their seats in heaven? To destroy them all and prevent me from summoning any monsters to attack you with? How pathetic. Attack me all you wish, it won't do you any good. I'll still crush you." Rose just smiled before slapping down another monster onto her monster zone._

"_I'll let you know now, that when I'm involved, the word impossible has no meaning. I can defeat any opponent! And I've discovered the flaw in your plan that will allow me to win the duel, so now I draw!" He snapped the top card off his deck, and dark power flared up around him. He glanced once at the card before slapping it onto the field. A brown backed card appeared horizontally in front of him._

"_The problem with your strategy is that the Seal of Orichalcos operates just like any other field card. It only affects face up monsters. Therefore a set monster won't gain dark power, so even a heavenly angel won't be destroyed by it while face down. Not only that, but your pathetic Death Plant can't destroy a face-down monster with it's effect either. So go ahead and attack my monster if you dare, but for now my turn is over."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thanks to a duel with one of your compatriots I learned the method of getting around a similar strategy to the one you're using. Your Hate Counters can only affect face up monsters. So I set my monster face down." It appeared before him horizontally.

Nick narrowed his eyes, covering his surprise. _'I didn't even know about that. I hadn't realized my Hate Counters couldn't go into face down monsters, but he's right. My Seal of Vengeance is a field card, so it still does have its limits. He's clever...'_

"Now, I complete my turn by setting a single card face down. Your turn Nikolas." Dalin folded his arms across his chest and started idly tapping the single card in his hand against his arm. He had a theory about his opponent's intents, now he just had to see if he had prepared for the situation correctly.

The knight smirked as for the first time in several turns he actually drew. He barely looked at the card before slapping it down onto his Duel Pod. "This monster isn't really necessary, but I consider it back-up. Dark Scorpion Assembly(1000 + 500/1000) in attack position."

A monster that was each of the Dark Scorpions bunched together took up a position in rear defense. Each figure's head now bore the symbol of the Seal of Vengeance, granting the whole further life points. "That's not really my plan. My plan revolves around the five Dark Scorpions, which I just happen to have on the field."

Once more the soul bond flared up, and the Dark Scorpions flexed their muscles, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "You asked earlier if I was a person capable of unleashing the combined strength of the Dark Scorpions. Now I'm about to answer you through the use of my face down cards."

Nick extended one hand out over his leftmost face down card, which proceeded to flip up. It was a trap, with an image of each of the Dark Scorpions on it, all of them charging forwards. The text beneath it was in Egyptian, just like nearly all of Dalin's cards. "This is Dark Scorpion Combination, and it spells your doom!"

Each of the scorpions stepped forward in front of the other two monsters. Don Zaloog was at the head, and they held their weapons at the ready. In moments they would strike according to the power of the trap card. "Dark Scorpion Combination can only be activated when I have Don Zaloog, Cliff, Chick, Maenae, and Gorg together on the field. All of them are here, so now I get a special effect."

Don, Cliff, Chick, Maenae, and Gorg all started to glow, and Dalin felt their power grow. Not their power in the game, but rather the power of their bond. The use of this trap was binding them closer to Nick. _'If I'm to win this duel, I must defeat this bond. That's my task.'_

"The turn that Dark Scorpion Combination is activated all of my Dark Scorpions will attack together for a grand total of two thousand damage. Also, since each of them has an effect that works when damage is dealt I will force you into a position of being top decked, since after dealing damage I'll pick back up Dark Scorpion Combination." Dalin nodded, knowing what that meant. If the right attack went through then Nick would get another chance to play his ultimate trap.

"Time to show you my strength. Dark Scorpions, attack him together!" The group of five thieves bounded towards Dalin. He took a deep breath in response, and then depressed a button on his disk, causing his face down card to flip up.

Nick threw up his hand as a blaze of light washed over his scorpions, temporarily blinding him. When his vision returned, spots now included, he saw all of his Dark Scorpions, mulling around blankly. Then he noticed something else. "What happened to Gorg? Where is he?"

Dalin took the card he had activated from his disk and held it up, showing it to Nick. "This trap is known as Rise to Heaven, and its power allowed me to remove Gorg from the game until the end of your next turn. Also, I gain it's attack power as life points." (DLP: 4650)

His opponent grimaced and then motioned sharply towards his remaining four Dark Scorpions. "Then what happened to them? Why didn't they finish their attack and crush you?"

"Simple, because Dark Scorpion Combination requires all five of them to be together to work. You declared an attack with them, and when Gorg vanished their combination fell apart, and so did their attempt at an attack. Without Gorg, your attack was a failure." Nick shook his head in frustration, but realized that Dalin was right. Not that it would matter in the end.

"Fine! I still have two monsters who haven't attacked this turn, and they're about to. Dark Scorpion Assembly, destroy his set monster!" The grouped monster smashed Dalin's creature apart, but suddenly a tall man in monk's robes with long brown wings stood in front of them. Dalin also drew a card off the top of his deck. (DLP: 4350)

"This is my Ascended Man(1200/500), who is a monk who spent his life being pious in order to become an angel on earth. When one dies, another shall take his place, just as is the way. And since he requires no possessions, he leaves me his legacy by allowing me to draw a card." Dalin smirked at his own explanation, now tapping two cards against his arm.

"I'll just kill another one even if it means another draw for you. At least you'll take three hundred more damage from my Seal of Vengeance. Freed, cut him down!" The bearded warrior slashed his blade through the middle of Ascended Man, and the robes collapsed. Seconds later the robes rose up again, once more filled by a monk with angelic wings. (DLP: 4050)

"My turn is over. I admit I'm impressed with your skill, but I won't allow you to get away with your actions. You will die at my hand, no matter what the cost." He slid a single card onto his disk, and finished his turn. Now he had to await Dalin's next move.

Nick blinked as Dalin immediately flipped his newest card around and showed it to him. It was Lady Justice with balance scales, and on each scale their was a strange jar with runes drawn upon it. "This special magic card is called Justice Unleashed, and it will allow me to bring forth the monster that I consider my favorite."

"A ritual?" Dalin nodded once, and then picked up his last Ascended Man off his disk and took another monster from his hand, sliding them both into the cemetery. The Lady Justice appeared in front of him, and both angels were sucked into the twin jars.

"First of all, since the last Ascended Man went to the grave I get to draw a card. Now I may special summon this level seven monster. Be unleashed! Sol, Angel of Justice(1900/1900)!" Lady Justice vanished in a tornado of angel feathers, and standing in her place was by far the most beautiful of the monsters Dalin had revealed so far.

Standing as tall as Dalin, Sol was a woman with long flowing white robes, and pure shimmer silver hair that hung to the middle of her waist. Her beautiful features were detracted slightly by the blindfold wrapping around her face, covering her eyes. Sol had her hands clasped together in prayer, and a silver glow shone around her. "Sol will be your undoing."

Nick narrowed his eyes in confusion, uncertain exactly what this meant. It didn't make much sense to him. "A level seven with only nineteen hundred attack and defense points? How is that going to help you at all?"

"For one thing you put Maenae the Thorn in front defense, and as long as Sol is face-up you cannot activate traps in during the battle step when an angel attacks. That means Maenae is wide open, so Sol will destroy her!" Sol pulled her palms apart, creating a shimmering sphere of silver light. With a little push the silver ball shot across the field and blew the female thief to pieces. The spirit rushed out and struck Nick in the chest. (NLP: 2300)

"Bastard...you'll regret destroying one of my scorpions! Your monster is still weaker than Freed, and when Gorg returns that will make two monsters that can defeat your angel. Just you wait, I'll crush you soon enough!" Dalin nodded solemnly, and then took two of the three cards in his hand and slid them onto his disk.

"That may be so, but until that moment I'll continue to duel. There is too much at stake to merely give up, and that isn't in my nature anyways. Turn end." Nick shot him and glare and then picked up his next card, starting off his turn fast.

"Time to say goodbye to your precious woman! Freed will destroy her with ease!" Freed raised his blade high over head, and then jumped up into the air. He came down fast, swinging his blade towards Sol. Dalin sighed and triggered one of his two face down cards.

"When you played your Seal of Vengeance I lost the ability to play one of my key cards, the field card Sanctuary of the Sky. But the hope still remained in my heart that its power would be unleashed. That hope has come true with my continuous trap card, Hope of Sanctuary!" His card flipped up, and a glowing barrier surrounded Sol, blocking Freed's attack.

"Hope of Sanctuary requires me to discard a card as activation, but then it makes my field treated as being under Sanctuary of the Sky. As long as it remains active each of my angels is protected from battle damage." Nick growled, but took pleasure in noticing the presence of a Hate Counter on Sol's robes. It seemed she wasn't immune to his field card, and in just a few turns he'd use Dalin's favorite monster to defeat him.

"So be it. Each of my other monsters is in rear defense and protected, except for Freed, Gorg, and the Assembly. So I switch the Assembly into defense mode, and end my turn. Now Gorg returns to me!" The hammer wielding muscular thief appeared next to Zaloog, meaning Nick's field was now nearly full, with only two zones remaining unfilled.

Dalin picked another card off his deck, and after a quick glance at it he slid it into his cemetery. "Now I shall show you exactly what gives Sol such great power. By discarding one light type each turn I may activate one of three effects."

A heavenly glow surrounded Dalin, and Nick heard the distinct sound of a life point counter clicking away. "One of her effects is the increase of my life points by one thousand. Also, since my monster wasn't destroyed I am not attacked by its spirit." (DLP: 5050)

So quickly all of Nick's hard work was gone, and Dalin was past his starting point. He had known ahead of time that Dalin used a life point gain strategy, but that didn't mean he couldn't be irritated by it. He had thought his Dark Scorpion Combination would be the perfect weapon to defeat Dalin, but in the end the angel duelist had even defeated that with almost casual ease.

'_Everything I do he destroys! Everything that I touch is burned away by him! He'll pay, oh by god he'll pay!'_ With hatred burning in his eyes, Nick prepared to take action as soon as he got the chance. All he needed was a way past Hope of Sanctuary and he would crush Dalin.

"Sol, destroy Dark Scorpion Assembly!" Another ball of silver light went out, and blew Nick's monster into fragments. The spirit rose up and passed through his leg, causing it to spasm painfully. He dropped to one knee, gritting his teeth in pain. (NLP: 1900)

"I swear, as soon as I get past your Hope of Sanctuary that you'll pay! Just you wait!" Dalin nodded, grim faced as he ended his turn. He knew that Nick was very serious, but he also knew that in order to stop the threat of the expanding Darkness Realm he had to win this duel.

Speaking of which, the borders of the Darkness Game had expanded past the ceiling and could now be seen right above them. At least three feet were past the ceiling, and it seemed to be spreading quite rapidly. At this rate there was no telling how long it would take before it swept over them. _'Time is running out. I must win or everyone will suffer.'_

"Here's the first part of my plan. It isn't much, but it will have to do. I pay the life points to create another Vengeance Token(200/200)!" The black kanji creature was summoned, floating in mid-air in front of his other monsters. He was lucky it didn't count towards his monsters, otherwise it would be taking up a much needed space. (NLP: 1700)

"I may not be able to activate traps when your angels attack me, but that doesn't mean I still can't prepare. So I set one card face down, and that will be the end of my turn. Come get me Sumatin!" His card appeared next to Freed, leaving him with just one open zone.

In the meantime his opponent had already drawn a card, and he was sliding it into one of his m/t zones. "I cannot attack this turn, however I will activate a continuous magic card that will work well with Sol. It is called Jofyul Light of the Heavenly Realm, and as long as it is in play I draw one extra card each draw phase.

"Nikolas, I swear by the power of Sol and myself that before this duel is over that justice will be served. No matter what that justice is, it will be served. That I swear." Nick was shocked to hear these words, not quite understanding what they meant.

He shook off his surprise and then reclaimed his anger once again. "It will indeed be served, but it is I and not you who will be delivering that justice! And by the end of this duel the truth will be known!"

With no more cards to play, Dalin's turn was complete. He was ready to face whatever Nick had ready for him. He was ready to face Nick's power. He knew exactly what was going to happen, but he wasn't worried at all. _'Before this duel is over, we will know the truth Nikolas. I must know the truth, just as you must know the truth.'_

As soon as Nick started his turn, the third and final of the needed Hate Counters appeared on Sol. At the same time, his Vengeance Token shattered, having gone past its one turn limit. "My Vengeance Token is gone, and it's time for me to regain life points and for you to lose them!"

The dark energy struck Dalin in the belly, cutting him slightly, and then fading away. On the other side of the field the dark energy seeped into Nick's body through the pores, empowering him with hatred and with the lust for vengeance. It also empowered him with more life points. (DLP: 4750, NLP: 2100)

"Say goodbye to your precious cards! I activate my set Dust Tornado, and I'm aiming right at Hope of Sanctuary!" A black tornado whipped into a frenzy and ripped Dalin's continuous trap to pieces, dropping the barrier. Now Dalin's angels were vulnerable to attack.

"I'm not finished Sumatin! I also activate a continuous trap of my own, the one that will ultimately cause your demise! This trap is known as Skull Invitation, and as long as it is in play we each lose three hundred life points whenever one of our cards go to the grave. Lucky for me Dust Tornado had already hit the grave before my trap activated. You on the other hand..." He smirked as a ghost swooped out of his now face up trap.

"I see, this is your strategy to deplete my life points. I'm prepared, so continue." The ghost wrapped around him and squeezed. Dalin barely even seemed to notice it outside of a grimace. His strength was impressive, but Nick knew it wasn't unlimited. And he was still losing blood from the cuts that Nick had inflicted and the damage dealt from Nick's attacks. (DLP: 4450)

"Next up, I sacrifice the three Hate Counters on Sol to have her attack you directly! Your own favorite monster is my first step to victory!" Sol turned around and faced Dalin, black energy blazing in her hands and hatred blazing in her eyes. She unleashed the attack straight at him, point blank range.

"I will never allow my own monsters to harm me. Never will it work." The attack fizzled out seconds before striking Dalin, and Nick took a quick glance at Dalin's remaining set card. Yet there had been no change. It was still set, and there was no sign it had done anything.

"How did you do that? You didn't even play your face down card!" Dalin placed a hand in front of his disk, and a card suddenly ejected from his cemetery. He flipped it up and declared what his move had been.

"For the cost of Hope of Sanctuary I discarded Sanctity of the Buried, which allowed me to negate that attack from the graveyard and end your battle phase. Being activated from the grave it has a special cost, so I must remove five of my cards in the cemetery from the grave." He slipped another five cards out of his cemetery and then slid them all into his back pocket.

"DAMN YOU! YOU DON'T DIE! WELL YOU WILL, IT'S WIN, LOSE, OR PROVE YOUR SO-CALLED INNOCENCE BEFORE YOU SINK BELOW THE SANDS!" Before Dalin could even ask what Nick was talking about, the ground under Dalin shook, and his feet began to sink. He looked down, and to his surprise saw that the ground had turned into quick-sand.

"I see. Well, I won't struggle. I'll just have to win, that was my intent in the beginning anyways. Are you finished?" Nick grimaced, infuriated by Dalin's nonchalant attitude. He slapped a card onto his disk, and it formed in front of him face-down and horizontal.

"That monster in defense mode, and then I'm done. But you will be as well as soon as I start my next turn. Remember, without your Hope of Sanctuary your Sol, Angel of Justice is nothing but fodder for my Freed and Gorg." He folded his arms, just like Dalin, and now awaited the angel duelist's next turn.

Dalin quickly drew two new cards as per the effect of his continuous magic card. He looked at both of them carefully, and then chose one of them to play. "Prepare to meet the power of balance in the form of a single card. I summon Goddess of Balance(1200/1200) in attack mode."

A heavenly being appeared next to Sol, waves of clothing flowing out behind her. Her features were concealed by a natural glow that surrounded her, and Nick realized that she truly was a goddess. He could literally feel the power coming off of her. "Damn..."

"Yes. Goddess of Balance, attack Gorg the Strong." Nick had no idea what was going on, but he did know that his opponent had just ordered a weak monster to attack his strong one. And with ease the brutish thief crushed her with his hammer, and she faded away as if she had never been. (DLP: 3350)

"Thank you Gorg, you helped me. You see, now the effects of the Seal of Vengeance and Skull Invitation are worthless, because when Goddess of Balance is destroyed in battle she is instantly removed from the game, where I then must choose one of her effects to blanket the field." Nick nodded, knowing that unless the card went to the cemetery he couldn't deal damage.

"So you had your monster commit suicide just to get her effect into play? You must be desperate to so casually through away your life points like that. Or she must have some pretty deadly effects to use, is that it?" Dalin didn't answer him in words, he simply set another card onto his disk, emptying his hand.

"You will see in due time. For now, I set a card face down and end my turn." Nick narrowed his eyes at the two face down cards, and then took a look at his own face down card. It was pretty useless at the moment, since it would only work if Dalin attacked, but with Sol on the field he couldn't use it when Dalin attacked.

Nick slid a new card off his disk, and smirked at what he saw. This card and the monster he had set would quicken the pace of this duel by quite a great deal. "I start off by activating Silent Thief of the Night, which will take the top two cards of your deck and send them to the cemetery. So you lose six hundred points and I lose three hundred."

Dalin dumped the two cards in his grave, and then was attacked by two ghosts, while a single ghost wrapped around Nick and drained him of life points. But Nick's smirk faded when he saw the life points after his card had been played. (DLP: 2750, NLP: 1650)

Nick opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced when Dalin pointed upwards. What Nick saw when he looked up was the form of Goddess of Balance floating above them, a pair of scales in her hand. "The effect I chose was Damage Balance. Now whenever I take effect damage you lose half of the same amount."

"Fine, I'll kill you first anyways! I flip my set monster, Needle Worm(750/700)! This monster's flip effect forces you to discard five cards off the top of your deck!" Dalin slid five cards into his grave, and five ghostly spirits slammed into him, further weakening his life points. But Nick shared that damage. (DLP: 1250, NLP: 900)

"Thank you, by using Needle Worm you sent an angel to the cemetery, allowing me to activate my placed card, Shield of Souls. This will prevent me from being attacked at all anymore during the turn that an angel went to the cemetery." A glowing shield appeared in front of him, preventing Nick from making any sort of attack.

"So what? Time for us to both feel the burn of your loss!" Another ghost shot out of Nick's trap, and hit Dalin head on. The powerful duelist grunted in pain as it passed through his body, and the silent pain that Nick briefly saw in his eyes told him the truth. The attacks and damage were taking their toll on him, and he was still sinking beneath the quick-sand. (DLP: 950, NLP: 750)

"I have a method in my deck of restoring my life points, so I won't be gone. Soon you'll lose Dalin, just wait! All it will take is a few turns and then this duel will be over!" He had no cards left to play, so his own turn was finished. Now it was time to see what Dalin could do, to see if he could once again recover.

Nick's enemy drew two cards, and then sighed when he saw them. "There is no next turn for you Nikolas. I start by activating Angel's Feather Storm, usable only with an angel on the field. It will blow away all of your magic and trap cards."

Sol spread her wings out, and then with one fell sweep sent a current of air and feathers across the field, shattering Nick's single set card and his Skull Invitation. With their power gone Dalin wouldn't be losing any life points from his trap. "No...Needle Worm!"

Despite his outward stress, inside Nick was smirking. Now he had no face down cards, and Dalin would feel completely confident in attacking his supposedly weak monster with Sol. And since Needle Worm was in attack mode, it would be his end. _'Or so he thinks. Sol has a Hate Counter, so I'll just destroy her with my Vengeance Death Strike the moment he attacks.'_

"Attacking you would be pointless, as you would merely use that special ability of your Seal of Vengeance again, leaving me with noting. However, I have one card in my hand that will drain away my life points, but will defeat you." Nick gulped, trying to hide the fear in his eyes as Dalin made this declaration. If Dalin remembered Vengeance Death Strike and still had a method of victory, there was nothing he could do about it.

"This magic card is known as Temporal Disruption. It will now destroy every monster on the field, and allow each player to draw one card for each of their monsters destroyed this way, up to a maximum of five cards." A temporal warp appeared in the middle of the field, and each and every one of their monsters was pulled into it, broken down by the energies within.

"According to the effect of your own Seal of Vengeance each of us will now be attacked by the spirit of our dead monsters. Sol is a level seven, so I will lose seven hundred life points, and you will take three hundred and fifty from my Goddess of Balance." He smirked, and Nick was left to contemplate the rest of the move on his own.

"And each of my monster's spirits will also attack me, making more than enough damage to finish me off. Well played Sumatin...but there's one thing you didn't think of." Dalin's smirk slipped at this declaration, and the symbol of Vengeance that burned on Nick's forehead lit up, and the Seal beneath their feet glowed a deep red as well.

"The Seal of Vengeance is under my control, so I now negate all the damage that it would deal this turn, freeing us both from that damaging effect!" Dalin kept his reaction guarded to avoid revealing his emotions, but inside he was frustrated. His attempt to win the duel had failed, and he had lost one of his best monsters in the process.

"I may have failed to defeat you, but I take consolation in the fact that your entire force of monsters, all of your Dark Scorpions, are now dead. Your turn Nikolas." The thief duelist drew six cards, five from the effect of Temporal Disruption and one for his turn.

Nick took a look over his hand of cards and then he began to laugh. The first laughter that Dalin had really heard from his opponent. "All your efforts to defeat the Dark Scorpions...failures. Now, I pay two hundred life points to create a Vengeance Token(0/0)!" (NLP: 550)

"This is the moment when you suffer, because my Dark Scorpions are going to return in just a moment. I sacrifice my Vengeance Token for Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures(1900/1500)!" A monster that was identical to Don Zaloog appeared, only he was older, with a beard and a few more scars on his person.

"This older and more experienced version of Don is from when the group split for a few decades. But then the thrill of the game brought them back together. Just like in the past, this Don does the same. When I sacrifice summon him I can take two Dark Scorpions from my deck and special summon them to the field!" Nick smirked and two cards ejected from his deck, which he caught and slapped down onto his Duel Pod.

"Cliff and Gorg are back, and he won't be alone for long! I play Dark Scorpion Reunion. For each card I discard I can revive one Dark Scorpion from the grave, so I revive Maenae and Chick as well, bring the gang back together!" The two remaining scorpions arrived next to their brethren, uniting the Dark Scorpions once more. And the soul bond was as powerful as ever.

"All your hard work, and all of it for nothing! Now each of my Dark Scorpions is imbued with the power of the Seal of Vengeance, assembling their combined power at a grand total of ninety-four hundred attack power!" The scorpion's eyes started glowing red as the deadly symbol appeared on their skulls.

"Dark Scorpions now reunited...attack Sumatin directly and win me this duel!" The five monsters rushed forwards, and Dalin immediately slammed the card in his hand into the disk, causing blue light to surge around him.

"My Justice For All magic card will now set my life points at twice their starting amount. With this power I can easily continue this duel!" The blue light faded, and his life points shot up, far beyond their starting mark. (DLP: 8000)

"Fool! It's nowhere near enough, I've still got this won!" Dalin raised one arm, and a shining shield appeared on it, and he proceeded to block the attacks of each of the scorpions. Then with one mighty push he hurled them back to their side of the field, causing them to stumble into Nick.

"I had another card in my cemetery that I could activate at any time. It is called Shield of Justice, and you sent it there with Needle Worm. For the next three turns I cannot be touched by either battle damage or effect damage, and I choose battle damage." He turned his stern gaze on Nick, and lowered the shield that was attached to his right arm. Now if Nick even tried to attack he would simply deflect it with ease.

"You saved yourself for now Sumatin. But my turn isn't over. I set two cards face down. Let's see if you can possibly recover." Dalin was willing to accept that challenge, even knowing that as soon as he started his turn he would lose half of his life points. But that didn't bother him. In fact, very little did bother him.

Dalin drew once, and then a second time. He looked at the cards with only a modicum of curiosity, and then slid them into his duel disk, leaving only two spaces open. Nick was now facing two face down cards and the prospect that Dalin could draw two cards each turn. "I set those two on the field. End." (DLP: 4000)

While Dalin was very calm, Nick was feeling about the same as he had been earlier in the duel. Enraged. Needless to say he didn't draw his card so much as he did yank it off his deck. "Perfect. This card will allow me to crush you once I go on the offensive."

He took it and placed it into his disk next to his two face down cards. It appeared face up, and the image was that of the Dark Scorpions all working together to enter a tomb. "This continuous magic card is known as Bonds of Thieves. As long as its in play my Dark Scorpions gain three hundred attack and defense points."

The bonds of the soul between the five scorpions and Nick all suddenly increased as each one got a sudden boost in power. Now even the normally weak scorpions were contenders, ranging from eighteen hundred to the older Don at twenty-seven hundred. "That's not all my card does. Now each of the Dark Scorpions has the ability of every other Dark Scorpion on the field, and should you choose to attack a Dark Scorpion, I can choose to block it with another."

Dalin nodded, realizing what this meant. As long as he had Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures on the field and this card was well, he could block any attack against his weaker scorpions with his brute attacker. _'So a simple attack is sealed. Defeating his Dark Scorpions is more difficult than I thought...but perhaps that isn't the method I should be using.'_

"Since I still can't deal battle damage to you it would be stupid to even bother with an attack. Your turn Sumatin, and don't waste it. After all, your life points are about to be cut in half once again." He sneered and settled down, waiting for Dalin's turn to start. However, before Dalin did they both noticed something.

"Interesting." Dalin peered up above them, where there was regular space. The Darkness that had been seeping down and expanding was all of a sudden gone, which meant someone had managed to end it. But at the point it was at he didn't know anyone who could stop it outside of himself and perhaps Drake.

"Who gives a damn about a little black sphere? You're dueling for your very life here! So pay attention!" The angel duelist nodded and returned his attention to the duel. He placed his fingers on the top of his deck, signaling that his turn was starting. It also triggered Justice For All's side effect, and reduced his life points. (DLP: 2000)

Dalin took his two new cards, and then put them to good use. "First I summon Holy Shine Sphere(500/500) in defense mode." A little glowing ball of light was his newest monster, and it was hardly impressive, especially since it was a normal monster. Nick hardly looked worried at seeing it summoned.

"Next I set a single card face down. The stage is nearly set Nikolas. The final choice is coming. End." Nick had no idea what to think of Dalin's newest comment, so he didn't reply. Instead he just drew a card, hoping it would give him a way to get past Dalin's three set cards at no risk to his Dark Scorpions once Shield of Justice faded.

Nick grimaced, and slid his new card onto his disk. It appeared next to his other two set cards, leaving him with a single open zone left on his entire duel disk. "One card face down. This is the last turn for your defense, so savor it. On my next turn you will die, I swear it."

'_Oh and how true it is. My set card combo will crush him with the greatest of ease. Dark Scorpion Combination and Dark Scorpion Skill Test are all that I need to defeat him. And Explosive Repercussions is just the back-up.'_ The thought of tearing Dalin apart was what kept him going. Now that his turn was over, the Shield of Justice would be gone, and Dalin would be fresh meat for the slaughter.

"End turn." Dalin's face was set solidly and solemnly as the Shield of Justice faded. He knew just as well as Nick that unless he found a way to defeat Nick's deadly combination and his soul bond then he'd be finished. This could very well be Dalin's last turn if Nick got his way. (DLP: 1000)

Said duelist drew the top two cards of his deck, anticipating a simple normal turn. However, what he got was a sudden glow of blue light that began to surround him, and the symbol of justice appeared upon his forehead. There was a flash, and everything changed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_It was quiet. Night in Cairo was much quieter than it had been back home in Chicago, and even though Nick's family was only staying in Cairo for about a year and half it had come to seem like home. Nick's father had come to set up business in the city which would take concentrated efforts, and Nick and his mother had come with him._

_The only unfortunate thing was their temporary location. Until they found a better place to stay that they could rent for the duration of their stay they were stuck in a relatively dangerous part of Cairo. The man they were renting it from said to walk quickly if they were in the streets at night, for thieves were known to lurk the area. Thieves in Cairo were notoriously brutal, or notoriously silent. The worst were both._

_Nick was only twelve, so he was never really bothered by this. After all, nothing could possibly happen to him or to his family. Nothing ever had, so nothing ever would. It was just the way things went. Sure he was aware that other people suffered that sort of fate, but nobody he knew would. That was the way the world worked, even if he didn't know why. That's the way he believed it worked, just like any other twelve year old._

_The young blonde boy shivered under his covers, suddenly awakened by a breeze. He hadn't left the window open, so it seemed odd that there was a breeze in his room. After getting out of bed he took a look and saw that his window was firmly shut, so he exited the room. _

_He hadn't gotten far when he heard rummaging, and then a sudden shout. He rushed around the corner, and saw his father facing a man a good eight or nine inches taller. Nick's mother was behind his father, and looked absolutely terrified. _

_In the darkness Nick couldn't get a clear look at the man, but he did see a few details. The most prominent one were harsh green eyes that burned in the night, and the shining knife that the man held in his hand. "Bad luck, that's all this is for you. Go back to bed, and never report this. Then all will be well."_

"_You can't talk to me like that, you can't be here. I've already called the police and they're on their way!" The man cocked his head to one side after listening to Nick's father speak. All was quiet for a moment, and then the man moved._

_Nick didn't believe that a man so large could move so swiftly and fluidly, but he did. He darted forwards and grabbed Nick's father by the forehead, tilting his head up. The man's right arm came up and pressed the blade to Nick's father's throat, and then slashed it to the side. Blood flowed freely, and his father gurgled, clasping at his ruined throat. "Then I'll have to make this quick. No witnesses."_

_Nick stared dumbly at his father's body, watching as he sunk to his knees, hands still clutching his throat, eyes staring forward in horror. Soon all he could see was the blood running red between his father's fingers, seeming black in the darkness. _

_Another brief cry brought Nick's attention back to the scene, and saw that a similar act had been performed on his mother. Quick, and almost surgical. The man killed with the grace of a professional, of one who did it as a pastime. "I hate it when it gets messy. So be it."_

_Nick stood frozen to the spot, looking at the steadily dying figures of his parents. He couldn't take his eyes off them, could barely hear the sounds of the man rooting around in the little home they had rented. When everything of value was taken, the man returned to the front room, and found Nick sitting with his parent's hands held tight in his, sitting in a pool of their blood._

"_A kid. That means another corpse. Sorry kid, but you'll be joining your parents now." Nick felt his head pressed backwards, his throat revealed and ready for the man's blade. The man moved forwards, and then jerked his attention away when a siren was heard coming closer._

_In that moment Nick came to his senses and tried to hurl himself away. The man snarled and took a slash at Nick. The boy screamed in pain as the blade gouged down across his forehead, eye, and to his cheek. "No time. Unlike your parents, it looks like luck is on your side."_

_In that moment, through red streaked eyes, Nick caught a glimpse of the man's face. He could barely register it in the dark and through his blood, but it was something he latched onto, even as the man turned and started to leave. Nick reached out, grabbing at the man's waist, trying to stop him. _

_As big as the man was, it was easy for him to casually shove Nick aside with his foot, and as Nick went down he pulled something slightly out of the man's pocket. A single brown backed object fluttered to the ground, unnoticed by the man as he fled the scene._

_Nick stood up, his vision fogging over from blood loss and from pain. He staggered around a few steps, trying to go towards the door, trying to head after his parent's killer. But there wasn't enough strength in his body, and he passed out, his body slumping down between his parents. _

_He would never forget that the last thing he had ever seen with two eyes was the blade that had killed his own parents._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin paused for a moment, and then resumed his actions, knowing exactly what to do. "I play Heart of Justice from my hand, and combine it with my face down Sanctuary of the Sky in order to create Sanctuary of Justice!"

A celestial building formed behind him, a heavenly glow shining brightly from it. It contrasted greatly with the blood red color of the Seal of Vengeance. "So you think to combat my Seal with your Sanctuary? How laughable!"

"No, I have the way to win already prepared. Reveal face down card, Monster Reborn. I revive Sol, Angel of Justice(1900/1900)." Once more the beautiful woman who represented justice took shape on the field. It was the perfect place for her to be, with the Sanctuary of Justice right behind her.

Nick grimaced, realizing that if Dalin somehow did get an angel strong enough to beat Don then he wouldn't be able to chain an attack with his usable trap card thanks to Sol. _'But Sol isn't strong enough to defeat Don, and he has only one card left in his hand. He can't stop me, vengeance will be mine!'_

"Now, I summon the creature that will be your defeat. First I must sacrifice Holy Shine Sphere. Then I can unleash Earth, Angel of Destruction(1650/0)!" A mighty angel hit the field, clad in brown robes, with brown wings extending behind him, and a large scimitar in one hand. This was Earth, an angel created to destroy others.

"Sixteen hundred and fifty attack points, no defense points, and it's a level five? What can this thing do that you think it can defeat me?" Dalin closed his eyes for a moment, and then at last began to explain.

"Earth may attack magic or trap cards as if they were monsters. The cards he attacks may not be chained. Set cards are considered to be in defense mode while face-up cards are considered to be in attack mode. All magic and trap cards are considered to have zero attack points and zero defense points." Nick felt his hand shake, and the single card left in his hand dropped to the floor beneath him.

"And since my Bonds of Thieves is face-up you can attack it with Earth and finish me off. With Sol on the field I can't chain with another card to stop it, so I can't stop you from finishing me. You've won...and so my vengeance is lost. But...why create the Sanctuary of Justice?" Dalin's answer came as action.

All of their monsters faded away, and in the center of the field there was now a gigantic set of balancing scales. On one side was the kanji for innocent, and on the other was the kanji for guilty. "Because, this is the final choice. I have activated the ultimate ability of Sanctuary of Justice, called Scales of Justice."

Dalin motioned to the two sides of the scale, and began to explain. "According to this effect my opponent my now choose one of two options. If you choose guilty, I automatically lose this duel. If you choose innocent, the turn continues as normal, and I will use Earth to finish the duel."

Nick could do nothing but stare at Dalin in shock. It made absolutely no sense. Why would he risk his victory, risk his very existence, and give Nick the choice of guilty or innocent? "I don't understand...you know I hate you, you know I despise all that you are. Why are you doing this?"

"I have seen your past through magic, I have seen the death of your parents and I have seen all of your pain. Now as a sending of justice I am giving you the chance to choose about me. Am I the person who caused all of this, or not? Guilty or innocent? The choice belongs to you." Dalin let his hands drop to his sides, and he watched Nick with a calm, unwavering expression.

'_He's just giving me the chance to win even though he already has a guaranteed win in front of him? He doesn't benefit this at all, so why would he do it? Would a real killer give me this chance? Was he telling me the truth before?'_ Nick squeezed his eye closed as tight as he could, and gripped his head, shaking it back and forth. The struggle between his lust for vengeance and his lack of true proof was beginning.

Dalin watched passively as Nick deliberated with himself, struggling to come to a conclusion about Dalin. He wasn't aware of how much time passed, nor did he care. All he knew was that the decision had to be made, no matter what.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Nick rose to his full height, his single eye meeting Dalin's eyes. Nick's countenance was cold and absolutely calm, nearly a mirror of Dalin's. Then he spoke.

"I've made my choice. And I choose..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: By god, I feel so evil ending it like that. Also, keep in mind that Sanctuary of the Sky as used by me doesn't have the same effect as the actual card. I made it more powerful.

_Review Response_

WolfGeneral: Not one turn kill. It was a five minute duel. Oh, and he's not evil.

The White Mage: For several reasons. One of them being that when you're a god you generally delegate. It's a god thing.

Time Mage: Bah, that chapter wasn't a waste of time. It was important, although not quite as dramatic as this one.

G.O.T. Nick: If you were a god with control over almost all of mankind, wouldn't you be full of yourself?

VoidTemplar: Oh Eikyuu's deck is forged from himself. Since he's a god, that makes it extremely powerful.

_Original Cards_

Dalin: Light Barrier, Payment of Debt, Rise to Heaven, Ascended Man, Justice Unleashed, Sol-Angel of Justice, Hope of Sanctuary, Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm, Goddess of Balance, Shield of Souls, Angelic Feather Storm, Temporal Disruption, Justice For All, Earth-Angel of Destruction, Heart of Justice, Sanctuary of Justice

Nick: Silent Thief of the Night, Don Zaloog-Hunter of Treasures(actually created by someone else who has no account on Dark Scorpion Reunion, Bonds of Thieves, Dark Scorpion Skill Test(didn't use it), Explosive Repercussions(didn't use it)


	28. Ride of the Death Knights

Author's Notes: And now, fear the power of the strongest of three knights. D'harim's power is about to be unleashed!

_**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ride of the Death Knights**_

Kai wheeled around the corner, taking a group of five stairs in one leap. He could hear thumping from behind him, and knew that Kirani was hot on his tail. They were racing down the stairs to see if they could find Dalin, because after Taichi's defeat and the collapse of the Darkness Game the two duelists had discovered Isis and Rishid laying lifeless on the ground, their souls drained away.

'_Dalin is the strongest duelist among us, and if he loses then the rest of us don't stand a chance. He's also the only person left in our group who has magic, and we desperately need that to survive.'_ Kai didn't even want to think about the prospect that Dalin could be defeated. Any duelist capable of defeating Dalin was beyond the skills of Kai or Kirani to defeat.

They both turned the final corner, and had to stop as a flare of light filled the room. Several seconds later it had dimmed, and the room in front of them was visible once more. Kai gasped and heard Kirani do the same.

Almost the entire room had been ruined, furniture was hurled in random directions, rubble was strewn everywhere, the ceiling had holes in it, and spikes poked out of the earth. It looked like a localized earthquake had run through the room. _'An earthquake? The Knight of Earth!'_

Both duelists bounded down the few remaining stairs and stopped when they saw what was in the center of the vast chamber. One man standing above his fallen opponent, a cold and distant look in his eyes. A few Duel Monsters cards were scattered on the ground, evidence that a duel had taken place.

"What...what happened?" There was a pause of several seconds, and finally the victor turned to look at him. Those eyes didn't touch his, they went right through. It was like they were staring past him, to what Kai couldn't guess.

"There was a duel, and a choice had to be made." The look in those eyes, it was what made Kai ask his next question. The simple question came unbidden to his mouth, and he spoke it before considering it. Yet somehow it seemed the right thing to ask.

"Was it the right choice?" Again there was a pause, and the eyes looked away, looking down at the fallen duelist. Kai's eyes were freed from that terrible gaze, and he felt a coldness sweep through the room. A chill ran down his spine as the answer came.

"No." Taking his eyes off the fallen duelist, Dalin Imaki Sumatin strode off to the corner of the room, and picked up a cast off white cloak, the one previously worn by the Third Knight of Order. He pulled it over his shirtless and battered body, and set his duel disk back in place.

Now that he was all settled back in, Dalin was able to turn his attention fully towards the present. "Ryu and Autumn?"

Kirani finally spoke, choosing to answer because of her involvement. "Taichi dueled and defeated them, they're in one of the upper rooms."

Dalin nodded, and then continued. "Isis and Rishid?"

Kai took this question, leaving Kirani to answer the question they both knew was coming. "Somebody beat them in a duel. Based on the damage that looked like was done to their bodies, I'd guess it was D'harim."

"And Taichi?"

Kirani sighed, and looked away. This was the part she didn't want to mention. "He started a Darkness Game, and I barely beat him. But the Darkness kept expanding and...Eikyuu came in spirit form and dueled him."

The older duelist raised an eyebrow, not having expected Eikyuu to become involved. "What is he capable of?"

"He beat Taichi in about five minutes, top decking the whole time, and he finished the duel with ten thousand life points. We didn't see the whole duel, because the first card Eikyuu played blanketed the entire field in light." Dalin grimaced, not sure what to make of that. How do you react to the knowledge that a god is a duelist, and is apparently extraordinarily powerful of one.

"This entire situation has been a trap. I doubt there was ever anything here to begin with. We should leave, and try to find a place to recover. Once we've done that we'll bring down D'harim and whoever else is in the way. Then we'll figure out how to deal with Eikyuu." The three duelists were about to start leaving, when the sound of steps stopped them.

All of them whirled around to face the stairs. They waited, tense and ready to act at a moment's notice. The person that turned the corner and descended those steps was not at all who they would have guessed, and it was Kirani who spoke first. "Ihachi..."

The person who had just come down the stairs looked to be just about twenty, with wild russet-brown hair to the middle of her back, and brilliant violet eyes. She was a beauty to behold, and wore a body suit that left little to the imagination, and bore a black stripe on each shoulder. "I'm sorry, did I startle you?"

Her crystalline voice was familiar to each of the them, as they had experienced her power first hand in the Darkness Realm. Using the great power of a Valkyrie-Goddess Deck she had defeated Yami, Kai, Bakura, and nearly Serenity and Kirani. In the end Drake had defeated her by unleashing a god of his own.

She had been behind duels that causes suffering for them all, and she had a god complex. Or rather, a goddess complex. When they last saw her she was convinced that by bringing the strongest and most worthy people into her self-created Eden she would become a goddess, ruling over her loyal subjects.

Although she had in many ways acted kind, she had been exceedingly cruel, obsessed with herself and how others viewed her. She even flaunted herself while dueling against the men. The only one of the three of them that hadn't dueled her was Dalin, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be a challenge.

"By the way, how did you know my family name? I've never seen any of you before, not that I remember." Her words threw them all off, and it was the least likely person who came to the correct conclusion. Dalin stepped past them and with that intense manner of his, declared his suspicions.

"Your name is Hikari Ihachi, is it not?" She smiled brightly and nodded, giving him a slight bow. Kirani and Kai stared at her in awe, not knowing what to say. They had both heard the name only once from Drake. He had mentioned it to Kirani in the hospital, and to Kai while walking through the desert of Ihachi's realm.

Sudden dark laughter drew their attention away from this startling revelation. Hikari's shadow expanded, and a figure emerged from it, shrouded by pitch black robes. He now stood tall beside Hikari, everything about him hidden by his cloak. "That's right, she's Drake's sister. She was our bait, but that was before we realized exactly what happened to Drake."

Hikari looked at him quizzically, obviously not understanding what was going on. Kai stomped forwards, a hard and cold look on his face. "You people sicken me! You take away everything and then talk about the greater good! What's the point in order if you have nobody to share it with? Where was your greater good when your order killed my parents?"

Kai gasped as a lightning fast leg swept his feet out from under him, flipping him into a position that was horizontal in mid-air. D'harim shifted his position with great grace and brought his knee up into Kai's side. The force of the blow put him into a spin, and he crashed face down on the ground at D'harim's feet. "It was a lesson in suffering. Apparently you haven't learned anything yet."

The teenager groaned and wrapped his arms around his sides, the wind knocked out of him. D'harim's strike had hit him at exactly the right point, and the pressure had caused his ribs and his lungs to collide. The pain was intense.

Dalin's face was set in stone as he approached, ready to attack D'harim at a moment's notice. Kirani wasn't exactly an expert fighter, but she knew that move had been professional. Whoever D'harim was, he was a very experienced and talented fighter.

"You defeat Nikolas. I'm impressed Sumatin, I told him he wasn't strong enough to defeat you. I on the other hand, have more than enough strength in my deck to defeat you. As a matter of fact, I challenge all three of you to a duel, here and now." Although Dalin couldn't be certain, he could have sworn that D'harim was smirking underneath his hood.

"Why are you doing this? D'harim!" Hikari reached out and grabbed at his shoulder, trying to turn him to face her. He pulled away, and in that single action her hand missed its target, and clenched down on the back of his hood.

D'harim's hood fell away, and the room fell silent. The face that stared back at them was just as familiar as Hikari's was, only for a different reason. It was the same face as one of the finalists of Battle City, a person they had considered an ally.

Standing before them, wearing a black robe and with the taken name of D'harim was none other than Takuya Shinomori, whom they had all known as Kensai. The only difference between this man and the one they had known appearance wise was his blank white eyes, like the eyes of the dead. "So, now you know."

It was a simple statement of fact, but it didn't change the thoughts of any of his former friends. Thoughts of betrayal ran through their heads, even Dalin, a man who rarely thought of anyone as a friend. He had considered Kensai an ally, but to see him as an enemy was...different.

"I suppose since you know now, that we might as well get this thing started, right? Time to get comfortable, because as soon as we get started the pain will begin." He gripped his robe and pulled it away, letting it fall to the ground behind him. He was revealed to be wearing a midnight black body suit, identical to Taichi's crimson suit in all but color.

"No...you won't be dueling them. I'll be your opponent!" D'harim glanced down, and saw Kai pushing himself to his feet. The teenager took a deep breath and extended his duel disk, clicking it into place.

"I defeated three of the strongest duelists you had to offer with ease. What could you possibly offer to me as a challenge?" He smirked, well aware that he outranked these three in power and skill. He was absolutely certain of it.

"Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. Well I learn, and I know that cards in your deck are designed to work best against multiple opponents. Cards that would merely make it detrimental to be dueling you more than one on one. So I'll duel you myself!" He slipped his deck out of his pocket, and began to shuffle it.

"Is that so? Well, if you're going to be any fun then we're going to have to make things more interesting. Take these and put them in your duel disc, they're called Life Point Chips." He handed two small objects to Kai, who took them and slid them into the bottom of his disk. Then he slammed his deck home, and watched as his disk lit up. (KLP: 8000)

"Eight thousand life points a piece? That's odd." Kai turned and walked a fair distance away, giving them room to get the duel going. On the other side D'harim had just finished shuffling his deck, and had just expanded his Duel Pod. With one swift motion he place the deck into it, and his Duel Pod lit up just like Kai's had. (DLP: 4000)

"Hardly. The only way you'll be any fun to me is if you have triple the starting life points. Not only that, but it will make your suffering last so much longer. Think of your parents as the first lesson in suffering. This duel will be the ultimate lesson." He snapped his fingers, and shadows swept through the room, darkening it all. Small lights illuminated it, giving them a clear view of each other.

"Don't worry, it isn't a Darkness Game. I have no need for that, because my power is similar to that of the Darkness itself. There will be no friendly encouragement, even though they can watch. It will be you and I alone. Winner take all of course. If you duel me and lose, you die. Sometimes you die before you lose. Ready?" Kai nodded, his features blank as he snapped five cards off the top of his deck. D'harim did the same.

"Kensai...why are you doing this? Why did you become D'harim?" The dark knight smiled coldly and drew a sixth card, adding it to his hand. Without looking he took another card from his hand and held it above his head.

"Kensai is dead. I am D'harim. And the story is simple. Kensai was obsessed with becoming as strong as he could, and the power of the Seal of Orichalcos drew him in. He was discovered by the Order, and they told him to give up all that he once was for that power. He did so, and here I am. The culmination of Kensai's wish for power. Darkness and suffering incarnate!" The card in his hand blazed brightly, and dark power was unleashed from it.

A familiar symbol now lay beneath their feet. Not that of the Seal of Orichalcos, but rather the Kanji for suffering. "I don't need the Seal of Orichalcos for power unlike Kensai. The Heart of Suffering is all that I need, and its power will break you."

"We'll see about that. I'm tougher than you seem to think D'harim. I've experienced my share of suffering. I know how to deal with pain." D'harim smirked and slid another card out of his hand, moving it slowly toward his Duel Pod.

"No, you know nothing of pain. You think you do, but all your beliefs in pain are childish and meaningless. I'll teach you the truth, so have no fear. Long before this duel is over you will come to understand. I will show you every spectrum of agony!" He threw back his head and laughed darkly, causing Kai to grimace. He had seen the pain inflicted by D'harim in his previous duel.

"Go ahead, teach me about pain if that's what you want to do. But when I win, you'll reveal to me the secret to defeating Eikyuu. That way I can strike back against the one responsible for my parent's deaths." D'harim smiled smugly after Kai had finished, and finally he placed his card on the field.

"I set that monster in defense mode. Now it's time for you to show me your stuff little nothing duelist. I don't expect much, but I do hope you'll at least try and put up a good fight." A monster card appeared in front of him, and then Kai was drawing.

He carefully inspected his hand, trying to figure out what to play. He had to be cautious, as he had no idea what to expect from D'harim. _'That face down monster either has a strong defense or a flip effect. I don't have any strong attackers in my hand, so I'll have to play cautiously at first.'_

Finally settling on a starting move, he selected a card from his hand and placed it onto his duel disk. "For my first monster of the duel I summon Silent Magician(1000/1000) in attack mode."

Kai's monster was a small magician with light blue hair and a dark robe, with a funny magician's hat and a fancy staff. The magician looked like a kid, and D'harim didn't seem to worried. "That's your monster? Pathetic."

"My monster won't seem so pathetic in just a few turns. But you're right, at the moment he's not that impressive. So I defend him with two face down cards." Two holographic cards shimmered into view behind the magician to his left and to his right. They were Kai's method to protect Silent Magician until the time to strike was right.

"I end my turn." Kai finished his turn with three cards in his hand, one less than D'harim. Yet despite the back up that Kai had given his monster, D'harim seemed much more confident. He acted like the move he had made was more impressive.

D'harim smirked, barely giving his new card a second glance before taking another from his hand and sliding it into play. "I think you saw me play this card. Black Wind of Death!"

Kai gritted his teeth as sharp black winds swept across the field like razor blades, slashing apart one of his face down cards. The remains of the wind blew past him, pushing him back somewhat by the force, and cutting his cheeks and his shirt. "Your Black Wind of Death destroys one magic or trap card on my field and deals five hundred damage." (KLP: 700)

"Yes, and then it is shuffled back into my deck to be used at a later time." He inserted his card into his deck, and the auto-shuffler on the Duel Pod did its work. Kai grimaced as he felt something trickling down his right cheek. With one finger he reached up and wiped away the line of blood from the cut.

"That's just a taste of what I have in store for you. Black Wind of Death is one of my best cards, and I can guarantee you'll see it more than once in this duel. I bet you'll come to fear that howling wind." He flashed Kai a frightening smile and then took another one of his cards and placed it on the Dueling Pod.

'_He's right. Black Wind of Death is powerful, and the worst part is that it cannot be chained to. I can't defeat that card if I can't stop its activation. So I'll just have to defeat his other cards. No need to worry about it yet, because it's probably deep in the pits of his deck.' _With his confidence boosted, Kai was ready for whatever other move D'harim was going to make this turn.

"I set a card face down and then...wait a moment. Your magician...what happened to it? It looks different." Kai smiled slightly, because his monster did indeed look different. In fact, it looked slightly older, slightly more mature. And it was more powerful now.

"Silent Magician is a special breed of monster. It begins at an early point of life, and steadily it grows up, gaining experience and power as it goes. The first step was level zero, now it's at level one. The right criteria past for it to level up, and now it has five hundred more attack points." Silent Magician(1500/1000) raised his staff and then pointed it at D'harim, a confident gleam in its eyes.

"An intriguing monster. I won't bother to ask what the criteria is, I'll figure it out soon enough. For now my turn is over. So go ahead and see what you can do." Kai nodded and snapped another card off his deck, ready to get his turn going.

As soon as he saw his next card, he knew what he could play. This card would work perfectly with his Silent Magician. "I hope you're ready to draw D'harim because I activate Joint Charity."

A magic card appeared in the middle of the field. The picture was of an angel holding out a hand of cards to a shadowed figure on the left, and another hand of cards to a figure on the right. "This card is exactly like Graceful Charity, only it allows both players the same effect. So draw three and then discard two."

Both duelists drew three cards at great speed, and then took another two cards from their hand and slid them into the cemetery. D'harim smirked, even though he hadn't automatically benefitted from it. "You should know that sending cards to the cemetery of a Death Knight Deck is asking to lose."

"I'm not bothered. Take a look at Silent Magician." D'harim raised an eyebrow and then looked. For the second time Silent Magician had grown up, and now looked to be in his upper teens. Not only that, but its power had accelerated by a great deal as well.

"Now that the criteria has been met again my Silent Magician has reached three thousand attack points. Even if your set monster has a strong defense it won't be able to match my Silent Magician." The mage clenched his fists, his power flaring in the form of a blue aura. Kai narrowed his eyes, looking at D'harim's set card.

"I've figured out the criteria already. Whenever I draw a card it gains five hundred attack points. It gained the first five hundred points during my last draw phase. Now since I've drawn three cards it gained an additional fifteen hundred. Truly an impressive monster, but I'm not worried. After all, I still have a face down card to defend me." He smirked and pointed at his set card.

"You're right, but I'm not out of options. Especially not after drawing those brand new cards, even if I did have to discard. As a matter of fact I have the perfect card to deal with your mystery card." He calmly took one of the four cards in his hand and then slapped it down on his disk next to his Silent Magician.

"Meet Sorceress of the Blue Flames(1600/900)!" Now standing next to Silent Magician was an attractive woman in blue and red robes. The edges of her robes had runes inscribed upon them, and they seemed to be moving.

"When I summon this monster I can automatically use her effect to destroy one magic or trap card on your field. Blue Flame Bolt!" The sorceress extended her palms and chanted a simple spell. Once it was complete blue flame streaked from her hands, and blew D'harim's set card away. But seconds later it reformed face up.

"Considering your status as a high ranking duelist I'm sure you know that cards targeted to be destroyed can be chained to that destruction effect. My set card is a trap called Delirium, which sadly for you can only be activated when a card on the field would be destroyed. It counts, so I can use it." A wave of energy swept over Kai, and suddenly his vision went blurry, and he nearly dropped his cards as he became dizzy.

"Delirium's effect removes your battle phase for two turns. Also, thanks to my Heart of Suffering its effects are quite real. So, are you finished with your turn?" Without really thinking Kai nodded. His focus was so off that he didn't notice the cards in his hand that he might have played to continue this turn. Now it was too late for that.

D'harim drew another card, and Silent Magician aged yet again, gaining a further five hundred attack points. After adding the card to his hand, he spread them out and gave them a quick once over. "This turn will go badly for you Kai, believe me of that."

"To begin with I set one card face down. Then I summon Death Knight Archer(1000/1200) in attack mode!" An undead knight road out onto the field on a lightly armored horse. Instead of a sword, this knight held a longbow in hand. The arrows and the bow itself were black, and the arrowhead looked to be forged of bone.

"Now, the proof that playing Joint Charity was stupid. I activate the universal Death Knight effect and discard a card from the top of my deck to special summon a Death Knight from my cemetery!" He slid a card off his deck and into the grave, then caught the card the graveyard slot ejected. Then he slammed it down onto his field.

"This is Death Knight Foot Soldier(1700/1200), who happens to have a special effect similar to your Sorceress. When he hits the field I can return one magic or trap card on your field back to your hand, so you get back your face down card." The armored Death Knight with no horse swung his blade and struck the set card, sending it hurling back to Kai's hand.

"Next I activate the continuous magic card Nightmare Lash. As long as this card is in play I can negate all life point damage my opponent takes in battle with my Death Knights to force them to discard one card from their deck for each instance of damage." A black whip with serrated thorns now rested at D'harim's belt, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

Kai grimaced, because even in his somewhat delirious state he realized that he was about to lose some cards. Thanks to the Heart of Suffering it was also going to hurt. "Death Knight Archer's special effect is spectacular. By discarding one card from my hand I can have it attack you directly. Attack with Arrow of Poisoned Death!"

After sliding his last card into the grave D'harim pointed to Kai, and then the Archer knocked an arrow in his bow, and released it. The arrow buried itself in his shoulder, and Kai cried out in pain. Blood oozed down the wound, and then the arrow vanished, leaving only a small wound in his shoulder. Yet it was still painful. "And I take damage now..."

"Don't be stupid. I said I was going to teach you every color of pain, and I intend to keep that promise. I activate the effect of Nightmare Lash!" He grabbed the handle of the whip and cracked it, causing the barbs to snap across Kai's chest, cutting a gash down the center. Kai gripped in, grimacing in pain as the effect kicked in, forcing him to discard a card from the top of his deck.

"Since your field is still open to attack and your Sorceress happens to be weaker than my Foot Soldier, I think I'll kill her. And believe me, this is going to be the worst thing you've experienced so far. Death Ending Thrust!" Foot Soldier bellowed a battle cry and charged forwards, stabbing his sword straight at the sorceress.

Kai's eyes went wide as the blade buried itself into her chest and went right out the back. His eyes weren't opened as far as they could go because of the realistic attack, but rather because he had just felt exactly what the Sorceress had. It felt like he had a sword in his gut. "Death Knight Foot Soldier...make him feel it. Finish off the Sorceress."

Foot Soldier twisted the blade, ruining the female spellcaster's stomach, making it an irreperable wound. Then it dug it in, side to side, and finally wrenched it out. The sorceress collapsed and shattered into digital dust, while behind her fragments Kai was on his knees, holding his stomach and holding back his tears. "The pain is intense isn't it? You can feel your guts sliding out of your body. And it'll just get worse."

For the second time in that turn D'harim cracked the whip, this time catching the top of Kai's head. He hit the ground face first, the new wound on his head bleeding. D'harim heard a muffled moan, and smirked broadly. "That means you discard another card from your deck, once you can stand that is. End turn."

It took a minute or so for Kai to regain his senses and let the pain fade enough to stand. He was still somewhat delirious, but he was able to discard a card from his deck and then draw a card for the start of his turn. He looked over his five cards, finally chose what to play.

"Steadfast Magician(500/2200) in defense mode. Then, I play two cards face down. End." Kai suddenly felt a heaviness lift off his shoulders as the effect of Delirium wore off. Next turn he would have a battle phase, and at that time his Silent Magician would have four thousand attack points.

D'harim slid another card off his deck, and Silent Magician gained in attack points, nearly equally a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "My face down monster, you know it. I used it in the last duel of mine you saw. I flip up Death Knight Mechanist(200/2200)!" The hammer wielding Death Knight appeared, and its effect kicked in.

"Although it benefits your Silent Magician my Mechanist allows me to draw three cards. That brings me up to a total of four cards in my hand and your Silent Magician to a total of fifty-five hundred attack points." He slid another three cards off his deck, and then looked them over.

"This should be interesting. I set four cards face down on the field, and then I reveal my previous set quick-play magic card. You've heard of Emergency Provisions yes?" Kai grimaced, realizing what was about to happen. Emergency Provisions let a duelist send cards on the field to the cemetery to gain one thousand life points each.

"I know what it does, so go ahead and gain your life points." D'harim smirked, and his face down card revealed itself. But instead of Emergency Provisions like Kai had been expecting, it was something different. There was a package of food as the picture, but worms were crawling out of it and a skull and cross-bones was plastered on it.

"Who said I was playing it? This is its brethren, Poisoned Rations! For every card I send to the cemetery I may inflict five hundred points of damage to my opponent's life points, so I sacrifice all four of my face down cards!" As the four cards disappeared, Kai felt a sudden wave of naseua hit him, and if he had actually eaten something he would have thrown up. Instead he just dry wretched.

"Fine...do your damage...I still have the lead thanks to your effort to grant me life points." D'harim sighed and picked up a single card from amongst the four and held it up. A black demon appeared in front of him, and swooped down into his graveyard.

"I told you I was just going to hurt you. One of those cards is Pact with the Dead, which I can use to negate damage dealt to pick up a card from the cemetery and shuffle it back into my deck for each five hundred points negated. So I reshuffle those three other cards and Poisoned Rations." The demon reappeared and handed D'harim the four cards, which were swiftly returned to his deck and shuffled in.

"Next the other effect of Pact with the Dead activates, and it is reshuffled into my deck. Following that Death Knight Mechanist allows me to draw one card for each card shuffled back into my deck this turn. Since that's five, I draw five new cards." All it took was a few seconds and a few draws and his hand was totally replenished, and his graveyard nearly emptied.

Kai smiled and motioned to his Silent Magician, who was now an adult with hardened eyes and a set jaw. "Since you drew five cards my Silent Magician(8000/1000) now has more attack points than any monster you can summon. Are you deliberately increasing its attack power?"

His opponent smirked and dropped one of his cards into the graveyard. "Honestly, I just don't care. Death Knight Archer, attack him directly!" The archer knocked an arrow, and then let it fly, this one heading for Kai's other shoulder.

"This time I'm prepared D'harim! I activate Burning Nova, which first destroys the attacking monster!" A fireball consumed the arrow, and the proceeded to engulf Death Knight Archer. When the flames were gone so was the archer, leaving D'harim with just two Death Knights on the field and no face down cards.

"The second effect of Burning Nova now activates, and I draw from my deck until I reach a level four or lower monster. That monster is then summoned to the field!" Kai drew one card, then discarded it. Next he discarded another card, and finally he summoned his new monster to the field.

"I special summon Blitz Magician(1900/1600)!" The magician wore red robes, with little jagged silver lightning bolts decorating it. The magician paced back and forth from foot to foot, tossing his wand between his hands as well.

D'harim just smiled and picked up the top card of his deck, which he proceeded to slide into his graveyard. "I move into main phase two, and I discard a card from the top of my deck to revive Death Knight General(2500/1900)."

An undead knight upon an undead steed now stood next to the Foot Soldier. The general had a scraggly beard of white hairs, and more elaborate armor than the previous knights. He also held a long broad sword with serrated edges. "My monster will prove to be all that I need to end you. I don't lose life points from Death Knights dying while he's on the field, and he must be attacked first. Impressive yes?"

Kai didn't respond, so D'harim was left to finish his turn. "I set a card face down, and now I await your move. It's time to see what you're capable of. Can your mighty Silent Magician crush my monsters and finish me, or is it as useless as you are?"

Slowly he drew, and he saw that he had exactly what he needed. "D'harim, had I been able to summon any monster other than Blitz Magician I probably wouldn't be able to finish this. But thanks to his effect and a special magic card I can end the duel right now."

The dark knight smiled, clearly intrigued by Kai's suggestion that he could win in one turn. "If you're so confident that you can defeat me, why don't you prove it? My Death Knights await your attack."

"They'll get it alright. I play Dark Magic Nova, which can only be played when I have three magicians on the field. I have Steadfast Magician, Silent Magician, and Blitz Magician." The three monsters stood at attention when named, while the Death Knights just stood at the ready. D'harim still didn't seem worried.

"To start with, Dark Magic Nova totals the attack of these monsters. Together that's ten thousand four hundred attack points. Then Dark Magic Nova lets me attack one of your monsters with that attack total." The magicians touched their wands together, and a ball of huge magical energy surged within. Its power soon increased past the already impressive power of Silent Magician.

"Have you forgotten already? You must attack my Death Knight General, and when he dies I won't lose any life points. So this whole assault is pointless. You would have been better off trying to get rid of some of my life points by first killing General then going after my other monsters." Kai smirked slightly and took a card from his hand, which he quickly slid into the cemetery.

"I'm not just attacking your general, I'm attacking all of your monsters. That's why I was happy to get Blitz Magician, because by discarding a card he can attack every monster on your field in any order I choose. By combining him in the nova I get to attack each of your monsters with that attack total. Go, Dark Magic Nova!" Three separate beams of energy launched out, each heading for one of D'harim's three Death Knights.

"How pathetic. I trigger my trap card, Death Knight Ploy! This sends each of my three Death Knights back to my deck and then replaces them with three new monsters. These monsters instantly become your attack targets!" The three knights flickered and vanished, and were replaced by three different ones. These knights had no swords, but rather large shields with spikes at the end.

"My three Death Knight Shield Soldiers(800/1800) appear in defense mode. Then your attack continues you lucky devil." The beams of magic ripped right through the shields and blasted the Death Knights apart. It didn't look like D'harim felt it, despite his Heart of Suffering.

"I neglected to mention that the monster that destroys a Shield Soldier is then destroyed as well. Since your attack combined your three monsters and you destroyed three of my Shield Soldiers...all three of your monsters die." Suddenly three spiked shields hurled out of the smoke, and slammed into the chests of Kai's monsters.

Kai coughed up blood as his body experienced the pain of having spikes driven through his chest. He shook, grabbing at imaginary wounds. At the same time his monsters were shaking, and they proceeded to be blown away, leaving his field empty except for one face down card. "Looks like you've fallen prey to a trap of your own making. If you hadn't attacked all my monsters you would still have monsters left. A pity."

After several moments of pain, Kai managed to force himself back into a standing position. "I haven't summoned or set this turn, so I'm still safe. But what I want to know is why you didn't even flinch when your monsters were killed."

"Didn't the name Death Knight tell you anything? My monsters aren't alive, and undead creatures don't experience pain! Therefore I don't either. So if you'd like to hurt me, you'll have to manage a direct attack, which isn't likely to happen." Kai grimaced, realizing that the Heart of Suffering was a one way advantage.

"Fine. I set one monster face down. Back to your D'harim." Now all he had to defend himself was a set monster and a set magic or trap card. His hand was also empty, whereas D'harim had three cards in his hand, though D'harim's field was empty outside of his Nightmare Lash.

The dark knight drew, and then smirked broadly. "How interesting. I discard a card from my deck and revive a Death Knight Shield Soldier(800/1800)." The familiar shield wielding undead monster was summoned, standing in attack mode.

"I summon Death Knight Bombardier(1600/1400) in attack mode. Then I use his effect to sacrifice my Shield Soldier and destroy your set monster!" Kai grimaced as his monster was blown away by a bomb hurled by D'harim's newest monster.

"Now I activate Bury the Dead, which lets me select three monsters from my deck and send them to my cemetery." His deck ejected three cards which he promptly slid into the cemetery. He smirked and flipped around another card in his hand.

"This next card is called Revenge from the Fallen. When a monster goes from my deck to the cemetery I can play this card and destroy a card on the field for each that went. If there are extra I may deal five hundred life points of damage to you for each extra." Kai grimaced as energy exploded around him, blasting him backwards and scorching parts of his skin. That also burned away his single face down card. (KLP: 6000)

Kai struggled to stand, but found that his legs were limp. He groaned as pain shot through his body, even though he knew it wasn't over yet. D'harim had a direct path towards his life points. "Death Knight Bombardier, attack directly!"

Kai forced himself to roll away, managing to move far enough away that the explosive blast merely singed him. He coughed as smoke filled his lungs, and his vision blurred from the heat he had been exposed to. "Don't think I'm done with you yet Kai Kaethen! You still have hundreds of levels of pain to experience, so I use Nightmare Lash to negate the damage!"

The edged whip slapped across his leg, stinging the flesh and ripping a gash in his pants. He vaguely saw the blood that was now exposed from the strike, but knew that he would probably suffer worse as the battle went on. "And now I discard a card from the top of my deck."

"Good, you're learning. I set the last card in my hand face down, and end my turn. Let's see how good you are at top decking." He folded his arms to wait. Kai was in a jam with an empty field and an empty hand. He had to draw something good or he would be finished for sure.

"My turn, so I draw!" He took a glance at the card and then, from his sitting position, opened a side slot on his disk and inserted the card. Then he closed it in order to activate the effect of his card.

"I play the field magic card Gates of Time. That's all I can do, so I end." A massive golden gate appeared behind him, with inscriptions along the border. D'harim vaguely recognized the inscriptions as being in Latin.

"Pathetic top deck. I don't care about mine, so I'll just start off by discarding a card from the top of my deck to revive one of the monsters I discarded through Bury the Dead. Rise up Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200)!" The fierce and powerful warrior was now summoned, holding his black sword aloft, the blood ruby at the bottom glowing with an inner fire.

"Next I activate both of the effects of Death Knight Paladin. I take one card in my cemetery or out of play pile and return it to my deck. The second is that I may special summon a Death Knight to the field. So rise up Death Knight Warlord(2650/1800)!" Another powerful knight on a horse rode out, this one had a claymore held in one hand and a helmet with horns on it.

"As long as Death Knight Warlord is in play you lose one hundred life points for each level of a monster of yours I destroy. Since this is damage inflicted by a Death Knight I can use Nightmare Lash to negate it if I so choose." He smirked and slapped the next card onto his field, which appeared in the form of a Death Knight wielding a scythe.

"This is Death Knight Reaper(1800/1600) who can negate the effects of a monster he destroys. Now look at this, I have four monsters on my field and can easily kill you with them. The question is...should I?" He brought a finger up to his chin and pretended to be in deep thought.

"I know...I won't! I'll just let you suffer and use Nightmare Lash to negate each instance of damage to destroy four more cards from your deck! Attack my Death Knights!" The four monsters charged forwards, but they were suddenly stopped as a barrier of light appeared and stopped the assault.

Kai slid a card from his cemetery and then put it into his pocket. "Last turn when you used Nightmare Lash you made me discard Maiden of the Dormant Shields(1400/1300) one of my best monsters. While she's in the cemetery I can remove a monster in my grave from play to prevent your attacks from continuing."

"I'm impressed. That means that until I drain your cemetery of monsters I won't be able to attack you directly. Perhaps you aren't as much of a weakling as I might have thought. End Turn." He clasped his hands together, eagerly awaiting Kai's next move. He was curious to see what Kai would be able to do.

Kai drew, and then the gate behind him suddenly opened. "You have no idea what I've just done. During each of my standby phases Gates of Time can return time to how it was previously in a very special way. I can special summon one monster out of play, so it's time I show you something you forced me to discard!"

He took the card from his pocket and then slapped it down on the field, revealing a purple clad magician that was familiar to any player of Duel Monsters. "Dark Magician(2500/2100). He's strong, but I have other monsters that are waiting in my deck with greater power in different ways. For now, I just need him to blow away your Bombardier!"

D'harim smirked and flipped up his set card, then ejected two cards from his cemetery and shoved them back into his deck. "Looks like we both have similar strategies in mind. My Death Knight Shield allows me to shuffle two Death Knights from my grave back into my deck to negate all enemy attacks this turn."

"That's fine. Next I activate Magic Sanctuary, which lets us each add one magic card from our decks to our hands. Also, while it is in effect all normal magic cards are considered to be quick-plays." Both duelists ejected a card from their decks and added it to their hands.

"I set my retrieved card face down, and that ends my turn." Now that his strength had somewhat returned Kai felt that he was able to stand, and pushed himself up, using his renewed vigor and the gate behind him to get to his feet.

D'harim drew a new card, and was about to say something when Kai triggered his face down card. "I activate Hand Rebirth, forcing us each to discard our hands and draw five new cards. So whatever card you chose is gone."

They both drew new hands, and Kai was ready to continue. "Since I have no monsters out of play at the moment I can activate the other effect of Gates of Time. I can special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand the moment I draw it. So I summon Chaotic Magician(1600/2000) in defense mode."

Kai's new monster had wild hair, sticking out from under his magician's hat and a crazed look on his face. "I don't really need this defense since I still have my Maiden of the Dormant Shields in the graveyard. So I'm safe until you can get rid of all my monsters in the grave."

D'harim smirked and shook his head in amusement. "You certainly are pulling off some impressive moves. But...not good enough. Because the card I chose can even be activated in the cemetery. Activate magic card! Ride of the Death Knights!"

Kai felt his hopes slip away as one by one Death Knights began appearing on the field, until a total of ten were assembled. "Ride of the Death Knights fills my field with Death Knights and prevents their attacks from being chained to this turn, it also forces me to return my hand to my deck. Oh, and they can attack directly this turn."

"It's too much...if I can't chain...then Maiden of the Dormant Shields is useless, and I'm finished." D'harim nodded, smirking as he answered Kai's unspoken question.

"You should feel glad, since it also destroys all cards on my field outside of Death Knights, getting rid of that Nightmare Lash you didn't seem to like. On the other hand...I have ten Death Knights who will all be attacking you directly right now. Poor you." Kai averted his eyes, awaiting the blows that would soon fall.

"Suffer Kai Kaethen. You will learn to suffer at the hands of my Death Knights!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Kai is gonna feel this one for a LONG time.

_Review Response_

The White Mage: Yes, there will in fact be a sequel to this. However, that will be the final piece for my Yu-gi-oh fanfic.

G.O.T. Nick: Indeed I am. MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Time Mage: A few things. 1. Dalin used four cards related to justice, this does not constintute a Justice theme. 2. You looking at my Dimension Gate notes? 3. Nick's parent's killer dropped a duel monster's card, he still had his knife. 4. Honestly, the only similarity is that their parents are dead. I have lots of other characters with dead parents. Should I have all of them also duel Nick?

WolfGeneral: Yes, it isn't all that bright. However, if he wasn't the kind of person willing to do that then he wouldn't have the Heart of Justice know would he?

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

D'harim: Heart of Suffering, Black Wind of Death, Delirium, Death Knight Archer, Death Knight Foot Soldier, Nightmare Lash, Death Knight Mechanist, Poisoned Rations, Pact with the Dead, Death Knight General, Death Knight Ploy, Death Knight Shield Soldier, Death Knight Bombardier, Bury the Dead, Revenge from the Fallen, Death Knight Paladin, Death Knight, Warlord, Death Knight Reaper, Death Knight Shield, Ride of the Death Knights

Kai: Joint Charity, Sorceress of the Blue Flames(TM), Steadfast Magician(TM), Burning Nova, Blitz Magician(TM), Dark Magic Nova(WG), Gates of Time(TM), Maiden of the Dormant Shields(TM), Chaotic Magician(TM)


	29. The Suffering of Kai Kaethen

Author's Notes: Now for the climax of the Kai vs. D'harim duel! Also, take a look at the note below.

Ready? DEATH KNIGHTS ARE NOT LIKE VALKYRIES! The similarities?

1. Both ride horses.

2. Both have a card with a similar name.

3. ...Oh wait! Those two were the only similarities.

See, I didn't base Death Knights on Valkyries in any way, shape, or form. That is all, sorry, just had to get that off my chest.

_**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Suffering of Kai Kaethen**_

_D'harim drew a new card, and was about to say something when Kai triggered his face down card. "I activate Hand Rebirth, forcing us each to discard our hands and draw five new cards. So whatever card you chose is gone." _

_They both drew new hands, and Kai was ready to continue. "Since I have no monsters out of play at the moment I can activate the other effect of Gates of Time. I can special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand the moment I draw it. So I summon Chaotic Magician(1600/2000) in defense mode."_

_Kai's new monster had wild hair, sticking out from under his magician's hat and a crazed look on his face. "I don't really need this defense since I still have my Maiden of the Dormant Shields in the graveyard. So I'm safe until you can get rid of all my monsters in the grave."_

_D'harim smirked and shook his head in amusement. "You certainly are pulling off some impressive moves. But...not good enough. Because the card I chose can even be activated in the cemetery. Activate magic card! Ride of the Death Knights!"_

_Kai felt his hopes slip away as one by one Death Knights began appearing on the field, until a total of ten were assembled. "Ride of the Death Knights fills my field with Death Knights and prevents their attacks from being chained to this turn, it also forces me to return my hand to my deck. Oh, and they can attack directly this turn."_

"_It's too much...if I can't chain...then Maiden of the Dormant Shields is useless, and I'm finished." D'harim nodded, smirking as he answered Kai's unspoken question._

"_You should feel glad, since it also destroys all cards on my field outside of Death Knights, getting rid of that Nightmare Lash you didn't seem to like. On the other hand...I have ten Death Knights who will all be attacking you directly right now. Poor you." Kai averted his eyes, awaiting the blows that would soon fall._

"_Suffer Kai Kaethen. You will learn to suffer at the hands of my Death Knights!"_

Kai didn't even have a chance to react before the ten knights were upon him, swinging their weapons, beating at him with their blades. Yet to his shock, each attack hurt far less than it should. When they parted he was bloodied up and heavily bruised, but not dead yet. "I'm...alive?"

"Indeed you are Kai. I guess I neglected to mention that all damage by my Death Knights is reduced to three hundred for the turn, so you only lost three thousand life points there. Unfortunately for you...I just used Death Knight Torture Master's effect, one of the Death Knights I summoned. It's the same as Nightmare Lash, so discard ten cards from your deck." Kai groaned and slid the top ten cards of his deck into his graveyard, reducing the number of cards he had yet again. (KLP: 6000)

"On the other hand my Death Knight Recruiter(1200/1100) allows me to draw a brand new hand of five cards since a Death Knight did damage this turn and that damage was negated. Lucky for you my Death Knights go to the grave at the end of this turn though. So I set two cards and end my turn." His cards appeared, and each of the Death Knights faded away, leaving his field almost empty.

Kai groaned and drew a new card. He took a glance at it and then immediately placed it onto his disk right next to his Chaotic Magician. "Using the effect of Gates of Time I now summon Quasar Magician(1800/1500) in attack mode."

A simple magician in plain black robes now stood to Kai's left. The only thing setting this monster apart from other magicians was that its eyes were each and endless sea of stars, like a looking glass into the depths of space. "I switch Chaotic Magician(1600/2000) into attack mode.

"Now I summon Gravity Mage(1800/0) to complete my attack force." Kai now had four monsters on his field, each one with decent attack power. Together they had nearly enough attack power to drain D'harim of his life points. It would significantly put Kai into the lead, along with severely weakening D'harim's chances of victory.

Kai looked at the four remaining cards in his hand, and finally decided on what to do. It was time to go out on a limb. _'If I wait I just give D'harim a chance to call back his Death Knights. This is my best chance to really hurt him, so I have to take it even with the risk of those face down cards.'_

"Okay D'harim, I'm ready to go offensive again. All four of my monsters attack you directly!" The four mages raised their weapons and attacked. Four different types of magical attacks shot towards the dark knight who calmly awaited them.

"I'll be using both of my set cards. Open set card, quick-play magic card Pins and Needles! This will return every card in your cemetery to your deck!" Kai's eyes went wide as a massive barrage of pins and needles shot at him. He threw up his arms and tried to get out of the way, but still the slashed past him, cutting him, and a few bouncing off bones as they pierced skin.

'_No...he returned my Maiden of the Dormant Shields to my deck, that means my best defense is gone!'_ He grimaced, and wiped away some of the blood that now covered him. Despite the pain he wasn't really bothered, because that effect hadn't negated his attack.

"D'harim, it's still going through, so you'll take a large degree of damage!" D'harim smirked and snapped his fingers, allowing his final face down card to flip up. A tornado of dark energy sprang up around him, and the blasts bounced off.

"My other quick-play card was Dark Wall of Air, which prevents me from being attack this turn by monsters. And now I'll tell you the last effect of Pins and Needles. You take one hundred damage for each card shuffled into your deck that way." Kai kept his face calm, knowing that he was still mostly safe because D'harim had a tendency to negate most damage he did just to cause pain. (KLP: 3300)

"I'm done for now D'harim. I set these two cards face down and end my turn." He knew that he still had the field advantage, but the power of D'harim's deck would quickly change that. He had no idea what to expect, and they both had about the same number of cards in their hand. Right now it seemed even.

D'harim took a single glance at his newest card, and then he smirked. "I activate Black Tide of Death, similar to my Black Wind of Death, only this will sweep away all monsters on your field into you grave!"

A mighty wave of black waters roared past D'harim and plunged down on Kai's field, and each of Kai's monsters was lost within it. When the waters settled there was nothing left on Kai's field at all. "What happened to my two face down cards?"

"Those? Destroyed by my magic card. Oh, and discard your hand as well. As compensation I have to discard ten cards from my deck and give up my battle phase. No matter though, I don't mind." He plucked ten cards and looked them over, then he shoved them into his graveyard slot.

On the other side of the duel Kai took the two remaining cards in his hand and shoved them into his cemetery. Now the only thing he had going for him was his Gates of Time field card, which wasn't going to be much help instantly. _'If he wasn't so focused on causing me pain I'd have been finished by now...I'm just getting lucky in a way.'_

"Have you forgotten the power of my Death Knights? No? Good, because I discard the top card of my deck to revive Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200)!" The mighty magic using knight clawed his way up from the grave, and leveled his sword in Kai's direction.

"I activate only one of his effects and revive my Death Knight Warlord(2650/1800). These two monsters are what I needed to use the power of my next magic card. Hangman's Noose!" Kai was caught off guard as a rope suddenly lowered around his neck, and tightened up. Now he was standing on a wooden platform, with the rope around his neck and a trap door beneath his feet.

"This continuous magic card will force you to discard one card from the top of your deck to the grave equal to the number of Death Knights on my field. It will tighten whenever you do that, but it will tighten worse if you refuse. You can destroy it by refusing, but you will take two thousand points of damage." D'harim smirked, well aware of the pain and panic that his magic card could cause.

"I won't fall to you scare tactics or your pain tactics. That's something I can't do." Kai took a deep breath, readying himself for what was to come. Although D'harim couldn't attack this turn he was bound to get an even stronger force out in the next turn.

"If you say so Kai. But I'll believe it when I see it. Until later, I set one card face down and end my turn." D'harim had all but emptied his hand in that turn, not that it mattered since he had literally emptied everything from Kai's field and hand. D'harim was just too strong.

Kai glanced at his newest card, and sighed deeply. "I set a monster in defense mode. That's all I can do." His monster appeared before him, and that was all there was for him to do. He couldn't stop the next assault with just one monster. Not only that, but the noose tightened, and two cards went to his graveyard.

D'harim smirked and snapped a card off his deck, glad to get the duel back up and moving. He glanced at the card and then slid it into his disk immediately. "Black Wind of Death returns once more, and I'll use it to obliterate your field magic card!"

Razor winds swept past him, cutting his skin even more, and he felt his knees nearly buckle as a wave of sickness crashed down on him. Blood loss was weakening him, and he didn't know how long he would be able to stay focused. _'It's too much...just too much.'_ (KLP: 2800)

"I activate the power of Death Knight Paladin and revive my Death Knight General(2500/1900). Next I discard a card from the top of my deck and resurrect Death Knight Swordmaster(2400/1700)!" With minimal effort D'harim had just unleashed an attack force of four monsters, all of whom could easily attack this turn with only one monster defending Kai.

"I hope you remember my Warlord's effect, because you're about to feel it. However, first I summon a brand new Death Knight Mechanist(300/2200) whose face-up effect will help me out quite a bit. Death Knight Paladin attacks!" The paladin slashed his pitch black blade through Kai's set monster.

D'harim grinned as Kai screamed in pain, echoing the cry of agony from his monster. It was revealed as a magician with green robes and a glowing bow strapped across its back. Death Knight Paladin's blade had cut through the bones of its shoulder and cut through its opposite hip, effectively cutting it in half. "Now Death Knight Warlord will inflict four hundred damage to you!"

The Warlord rode over to Kai and slammed his fist into the side of the teenager's head, knocking him flat on his back. Kai passed out for a moment, and awoke to vision clouded by blood dripping from the heavy wound inflicted on his brow by the Warlord. _'Too much...'_ (KLP: 2400)

"Death Knight Mechanist allows me to negate battle damage inflicted by a Death Knight in order to draw one card. Of course you'll still feel the attack. So, Death Knight Swordmaster, show him your stuff!" The knight wielding two swords proceeded to smash the flats of those blades into Kai's stomach, doubling him over. D'harim smirked when he saw Kai spit up a decent amount of blood. He then slid a card off his deck and started to make his next declaration.

"No...hold it. I can use this trap from my grave, so I do. Archmage's Judgement can be used when I receive a direct attack. It then destroys all enemy monsters that haven't attacked this turn." A wave of blue light descended onto D'harim's field and his monsters were burned into ashes, leaving only Paladin and Swordmaster.

"Impressive maneuver Kaethen. I set two cards face down and end my turn." His lips turned up in a sneer as Kai moved his hand, struggling to reach for his next card. If he wasn't able to draw, he would end up losing the duel.

Finally Kai got it in his hand, and then sent a glare D'harim's way. "You destroyed Mystic Archer From Afar(1000/1400) who removes himself from the game when destroyed. Now as long as he is the only monster in my removed from play pile I can destroy one of your cards. So I destroy your Paladin."

A glowing arrow lanced down from above and speared into the Paladin's chest. The Death Knight collapsed, and turned to dust. "Another impressive weak monster. But impressive weak monsters won't save you from me."

"Pot of Greed." He slid another two cards off his deck and into his hand, ignoring the green pot that appeared in front of him when the effect was activated. He needed the cards too much to pay attention to special effects.

"Perfect. I play Spell Overlap, which can only be played after I activate a magic card. That magic card activates itself a second time." The magical grinning green pot took form on the field again as Kai drew another two cards, giving him three cards in his hand to work with.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and Kai had absolutely no method to stop the next assault. So now was the time to get desperate. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon on your left face down card." D'harim smirked as is card was blown away.

"Now I summon Monster Breaker(1900/1000) to the field!" His black armored breaker hit the field, the first of them to get played during the duel. He looked to his monster and smiled slightly before gesturing to his opponent's Swordmaster.

"I remove Monster Breaker's counter in order to destroy your Swordmaster." Monster Breaker jumped forward, his sword ablaze with light, and slashed it through Swordmaster's chest. The Swordmaster burst into dust, leaving D'harim with only a single face down card between Monster Breaker and D'harim's life points.

"Impressive move, but do you really think you'll actually manage to hurt me with that measly creature of yours and its pathetic sixteen hundred attack points. I do have a face down card after all." Kai nodded and flipped around the final card in his hand, showing a group of magicians gathered around a glowing piece of parchment.

"Lost Text requires I sacrifice a magician on my field. Then I can replace it with any other magician from my deck. So I sacrifice Monster Breaker to summon my faithful Breaker the Magical Warrior(1900/1000)!" The black armor suddenly shimmered and changed colors, becoming a crimson color instead.

"I'll use Breaker's special ability to destroy your face down card. It's time for me to even up this duel!" Breaker raises his sword above his head, which now glowed with a great inner light. Then he swung it down, send a wave of energy at the set card.

"I activate that set card, Exchange of Life! I return every card in my cemetery to my deck at a cost of giving you one hundred life points per card. I have twenty-six cards in my cemetery, so you gain quite a few life points." Kai grimaced when he saw his life point counter raise, but didn't feel any energy returned. Apparently Heart of Suffering was one way. You got all the pain but none of the pleasure. (KLP: 5000)

"Thanks for raising my life points, but it was pointless. Breaker, attack him directly!" Breaker charged and slashed his sword at D'harim, but to Kai's shock an unarmored undead creature wearing dark breeches and a shirt jumped in the way and was cut down.

"Stupid amateur. I used Exchange of Life to return my Death Knight Page(400/1400) to my deck from my cemetery. He can be special summon from my deck at any time to block an opponent's attack. When he dies I get to draw two cards, so thank you for that." Kai grimaced, realizing that his best chance at undoing D'harim had just fallen apart.

'_Now my Breaker is defenseless. I have no more cards in my hand and nothing left to use. I had been hoping to just deal some damage that turn as a last desperate act, but even that failed. Now what is left for me?'_ He bit back a groan as a wash of pain flowed through his body, nearly knocking him off his feet. Things just kept getting worse.

Lastly two more cards went from his deck to the cemetery as Hangman's Noose did its work, chocking Kai in the process. He could refuse to discard and take the damage, but he doubted he would like the effect. In fact, he was sure if he did so he would be hung, and he wouldn't recover from that.

"I take it that my turn is about to begin, so I draw!" The first knight of order looked at his new card and then with a glance at his other two cards began to smirk devilishly. Even though Kai could barely see it with his vision clouded, he knew it was bad.

"Now the time has come for you to lose, although that time will be slightly prolonged in order to fulfill my promise. Step one...introduce you to several of the methods of torture. I'll do so by equipping Breaker with Torture Rack!" A black metal table appeared out of nowhere, and brown straps pressed Breaker down upon it.

"The monster equipped by Torture Rack is considered to be out of play, so your Mystic Archer's effect is useless. Each turn the opponent will lose one hundred life points times the monster's level. So each of your turns you will lose four hundred life points." So far that didn't sound bad to Kai, but it was the name of the card that had him worried.

"Unfortunately for you it does so by using many methods of torture on the monster. Not only that, but thanks to Heart of Suffering..." D'harim left it hanging, knowing that Kai would realize what had gone unsaid. He did know.

Each turn his Breaker would be tortured. Each turn Heart of Suffering would make him feel that torture as well. Each turn he would lose four hundred life points. Unless he found a way to free his Breaker soon, he wouldn't last long enough to make any sort of come back. _'Only a few methods left to destroy magic or trap cards in my deck...'_

"I hope you weren't thinking about top decking your way out of this situation, because I have a way to stop that. Tell me Kai, are you a religious person? Are you a Christian?" Kai shook his head, not sure what D'harim was getting at by this line of questioning.

"Pity, I was hoping this card would offend you more then. I activate Cross of Lightning!" Kai grimaced as suddenly the hangman's noose was replaced by a massive steel cross, and he was strapped to it by what looked like barbed wire, which was cutting into his skin.

"By giving up my battle phase I can force you to give up your draw phase. An even trade I'd say. Especially considering my card is continuous. Come your turn you'll learn why it's called the Cross of Lightning." D'harim's smirk meant trouble for Kai, and so did this card. Especially when he realized the implications of this combo.

'_I have no cards on the field, none in my hand, and now his Cross of Lightning prevents me from drawing so long as he gives up his battle phase. While that may save me from attacks, I won't be able to recover because each turn I'll lose two cards, four hundred life points, and experience a whole new level of pain. It's an unbeatable combo...I'm completely locked down!'_ He would have let his head sag, but a strap was holding his head against the back of the cross.

"I see that you understand. Good thing too, otherwise this wouldn't be as much fun. I may not be able to attack you, but I can build up a sizable force just in case." He took the last card in his hand and slapped it down on his Duel Pod, watching as his creature was summoned.

"Death Knight Priest(1000/1100) isn't particularly powerful, but I can forfeit my draw phase to have him send a Death Knight to the grave. Quite useful, yes? End turn." It didn't matter what cards that D'harim played from now on, because this single combo had already decided the fate of the game. There was no way to escape it.

Since D'harim's turn ended Kai's officially began, but he didn't have a draw phase. And he learned exactly what that meant as streaks of electricity suddenly zapped through his body, causing him to convulse violently. The barbed wire slashed his skin horribly while he convulsed, dealing even greater damage to him. "Nowhere near as powerful as the electric chair, but effective nonetheless."

"You'll pay...somehow I know it. Right now Dalin is watching and I know he's figuring out how to defeat you." Kai managed a slight smirk despite the pain, at last revealing his true plan.

"Are you saying that you dueled me knowing that you couldn't win, but with the intent of just revealing all of my strategy to Dalin? You're giving up your life so that he can defeat me in a duel?" Kai's smirk broadened, showing D'harim that he was correct.

"It may not be the best plan in the world, but it's strategy. I told you before we started that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and I know Dalin will learn from this duel. His strength will defeat you in the end, I know it!" D'harim's eyes narrowed in anger, and then he smirked.

"That may be, but I believe you're forgetting what comes after the draw phase. That would be the standby phase, and now that we have reached the appropriate phase...Torture Rack activates!" The straps on the rack tightened, and suddenly chains wrapped around Breaker's stomach, tightening further and further with each second.

Kai could barely breath as he felt his ribs squeeze in on his lungs. He knew in his mind that it wasn't happening to him, but it felt so real that it didn't seem possible that it was anything else. He had no idea how long it lasted, but he did know that his mind barely seemed to be functioning afterwards. He drifted in and out of consciousness. (KLP: 4500)

D'harim gestured to his deck, and suddenly a card shot out of it. He caught it without even looking, and then slid it into his cemetery. "If you're aware of my actions, I'm announcing my move at the moment. And I just used Death Knight Priest's effect."

His opponent muttered something that vaguely sounded like recognition, but D'harim couldn't be bothered to discover the real details. No point when he already had the duel finished. "The Death Knight ability...I activate it now."

Another card slid into his cemetery, and the one he had sent in previously popped out, allowing him to play it on his Duel Pod. "The ever familiar Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) is revived, and I use his effect to shuffle that card I discarded back into my deck."

"Since I've forfeited my battle phase, I think it's time for you to learn another lesson in pain. End Turn!" He waited with baited breath as Kai's duel disk registered the start of his turn, and the effects of D'harim's cards kicked in.

Thin little blades slid down into Breaker's armor, parting it like butter. They pushed in farther, running across the skin below, putting just the right amount of pressure to cause pain. Then suddenly a needle thin blade stabbed down into his shoulder, and one by one the others did the same, peppering Breaker's body with little wounds.

Kai's body quivered under the relentless assault that his brain and body felt, but it wasn't over, because just as it seemed to stop the effect of Cross of Lightning kicked in. Thousands of volts of electricity coursed through Kai's body, and he didn't even bother to try and hold back the scream that was building. (KLP: 4000)

D'harim looked on with those cold blank eyes of his, a cruel smirk plastered on his face. Just by looking at him one wouldn't be able to tell wether he was enjoying this, or simply satisfied that his promise was being fulfilled. "Are you beginning to understand Kai Kaethen? All your pathetic thoughts about pain and the reality of the world...they are nothing. You have never known true pain until this moment."

Kai was hardly in the position to respond, so D'harim felt the need to simply continue speaking. "The Heart of Suffering draws on your pain and tells me all that I could ever need to know. You love history, your parents were both deeply involved in it, giving you that great love."

The dark duelist slid a card off his deck, choosing not to activate the effect of his Priest. "Because of your love of history some of the students at your school chose not to accept you. Sob sob, boo hoo. They didn't like you and you withdrew into yourself, choosing to focus only on a few things in life. History, and Duel Monsters."

Languidly the duelist placed his drawn card onto his duel disk right next to his Death Knight Paladin. The form of Death Knight Reaper(1800/1600) took shape, granting him even more attack points to use at a later date. "The few friends you ever had were never true friends, but rather companions, or acquaintances who saw eye to eye with you on certain things. You drew deeper into yourself, always thinking that mankind had done you some sort of disservice by not accepting you into the fold."

With no actions taken by him, the disks transferred control of the duel to Kai, who was immediately shocked by the arcs of electricity that ran through his body courtesy of Cross of Lightning. "You were cold and lonely, but that isn't pain! You were the one who pushed the world away, not the other way around. And you are responsible for all of that!"

Almost as if in response to his actions the Torture Rack chose its newest method of torturing Breaker, and in turn torturing Kai. Breaker's arms and legs were wrapped up in chains, and some unseen object began pulling on them. The magical warrior's body and bones creaked as it was pulled into unnatural angles, forced past the breaking bone. (KLP: 3500)

"I'm not done with you Kai Kaethen, but since its my turn I'll be using my Priest's effect, and combining it with Paladin's effect in order to revive my Death Knight Warlord(2650/1800)!" A fourth monster appeared on D'harim's field, granting him more than enough brute power to easily crush Kai should he choose to do so.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't understand. Why is he doing this to that friend of yours? He seemed like such a nice person before, if a little cold." Hikari stared into the void, her body shivering in fear. Never before had she thought such acts could be committed on a person. Now she was seeing it for herself, the true suffering that could be inflicted upon a human being.

Dalin set a massive hand on her should, his eyes also watching the field. But his eyes held no compassion like hers did. Instead they held nothing that could be used to interpret his thinking. "I don't claim to understand his thinking. But I do know that what you sensed, what you experienced, was the true person underneath all of what you now see."

'_Kai, I respect your decision. However, should I have faced D'harim I would have done so under my own strength. If you want anyone to defeat D'harim, you must somehow make that person yourself.' _Dalin did not know how that could be accomplished, but it was what he felt. He wanted for Kai to win, he didn't want to have to defeat D'harim.

Because that would mean that Kai had fallen before D'harim's power. Anyone who was defeated by the Knight of Darkness would die. So in order to defeat the Knight of Darkness, Dalin would be forced to do so by mounting the rampart set forth by Kai's death.

Off to his right Kirani was in the middle of feeling something close to guilt. She had been rather insulting of Kai lately, though mostly in her head, because of his callous attitude about things that had been happening.

First he had seemingly not cared that Yami, Kaiba, and Joey were gone. Then he had expressed his lack of concern for Mai and the others being defeated as they were. The last straw was when he had brushed off Ryu and Autumn's loss. It was as if he were a completely heartless person.

Yet here he was, struggling against a stronger opponent, suffering intense agony, and all so that Dalin could defeat D'harim and they could move on. _'Maybe there's more to Kai than I thought. But even if I'm wrong, I still hope he can find a way out of this and win. I'm setting my faith in you Kai, so don't knuckle under.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D'harim watched with satisfaction as the joint abilities of Cross of Lightning and Torture Rack kicked in, draining Kai of another five hundred life points and preventing him from drawing. It was an utterly perfect lock, and there was no way in the entire game of Duel Monsters to defeat it. "My turn again Kai." (KLP: 3000)

A card popped out of his deck and he slid it into his graveyard following the effect of his Death Knight Priest. "Now I activate the power of my Death Knight Paladin and revive Death Knight General(2500/1900)!"

His second strongest Death Knight rode out to meet with his other monsters, filling up his monster zone. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest by this or by his lack of magic or trap cards. "Again, my turn is forfeited along with my battle phase. But so is yours!"

Kai wasn't even able to scream as D'harim's cards activated, forcing unspeakable horrors upon him. Although there wasn't any physical damage apparent to Kai, he was obviously feeling every little bit of it. Each turn it was getting worse as his life points drained away. (KLP: 2500)

D'harim slid a card off the top of his deck, and then immediately slipped it onto his Duel Pod. "I'll set a card face down. Then I give up my battle phase again to keep Cross of Lightning in play. Then we know what happens don't we?"

The shadows were alive with Kai's pain, and to him all his life seemed to be fading away. He was no longer aware of the duel, or of anything going on around him. All he knew was absolute pain, beyond everything else. It consumed his world, it was his world. He was pain. (KLP: 2000)

"You know Kai, you look half-dead. Maybe more. Can you even tell that I'm setting a card face down right now? No? That's fine with me. End turn." He smirked as Kai's entire body spasmed with the pain he was experiencing and from the volts of electricity being pumped through his body. His gaze fell on Breaker and what was happening to it, and he could only smile. That was definitely not pretty. (KLP: 1500)

D'harim inspect Kai for several seconds before drawing his card for the turn. Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded and drew. "Yes, I've decided. You are more than half-dead. I doubt you'll last more than another turn. I'm impressed you've lasted this long."

He saw the glares of the three watching the duel, but he didn't care. He was enjoying the look on Kai's face, seeing the muscles in his body convulse as he experienced different levels and types of pain. By now he was sure that Kai knew nothing but the pain. _'Nothing is so joyous as suffering. I wonder if he's learned that lesson yet, or if he's too far gone to know anything at all.'_

The electricity's flow ceased, as did the torture, leaving Kai's life points at an unimpressive one thousand. All four others present had their trains of thought cut off when they noticed something rather peculiar. There was absolute no motion from Kai at all. "Has it happened already?"

The dark knight approached and lifted his arm up to Kai. His fingers pressed up against the side of the other duelist's neck, and he paused for several seconds there. Then he leaned his head up against Kai's chest, and passed a hand in front of his mouth and nose.

Within the darkness, Dalin, Kirani, and Hikari all waited with baited breath. This was the moment of truth. And now D'harim was turning to look directly at them, and his blank eyes seemed all the more horrible because of the situation.

"I was right. He's more than half-dead. He's all-dead."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Don't really have much to say. Oh, and I pulled the 'all-dead' thing from The Princess Bride.

_Review Response_

VoidTemplar: As I said above, Death Knights are not like Valkyries except in those two completely insignificant ways.

The White Mage: Same as what I said above and to VoidTemplar.

Time Mage: Paul...D'harim isn't going to fear Kai's deck at all as you can plainly see. D'harim is extremely powerful, far more so than Kai. No, Hikari didn't choose Valkyries.

G.O.T. Nick: You were right about that hurting, you just had no clue how right you were.

WolfGeneral: Boy does he ever like to inflict pain. And as you have just read, no he can't survive this.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

D'harim: Ride of the Death Knights, Death Knight Torture Master, Death Knight Recruiter, Pins and Needles, Black Tide of Death, Death Knight Paladin, Death Knight Warlord, Hangman's Noose, Death Knight General, Death Knight Swordmaster, Black Wind of Death, Death Knight Mechanist, Exchange of Life, Death Knight Page, Torture Rack, Cross Of Lightning, Death Knight Priest, Death Knight Reaper

Kai: Chaotic Magician(TM), Gates of Time(TM), Quasar Magician(TM), Gravity Mage(TM), Archmage's Judgement(TM), Mystic Archer from Afar(TM), Spell Overlap, Monster Breaker, Lost Text(TM)


	30. Two Souls Beating In Tandem

Author's Notes: He's Trogdor, Trogdor, Trogdor the Burninator! Burninating the countryside, burninating the peasants! TROGDOR!

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Two Souls Beating In Tandem**_

_D'harim inspect Kai for several seconds before drawing his card for the turn. Satisfied with what he saw, he nodded and drew. "Yes, I've decided. You are more than half-dead. I doubt you'll last more than another turn. I'm impressed you've lasted this long."_

_He saw the glares of the three watching the duel, but he didn't care. He was enjoying the look on Kai's face, seeing the muscles in his body convulse as he experienced different levels and types of pain. By now he was sure that Kai knew nothing but the pain. 'Nothing is so joyous as suffering. I wonder if he's learned that lesson yet, or if he's too far gone to know anything at all.'_

_The electricity's flow ceased, as did the torture, leaving Kai's life points at an unimpressive one thousand. All four others present had their trains of thought cut off when they noticed something rather peculiar. There was absolute no motion from Kai at all. "Has it happened already?"_

_The dark knight approached and lifted his arm up to Kai. His fingers pressed up against the side of the other duelist's neck, and he paused for several seconds there. Then he leaned his head up against Kai's chest, and passed a hand in front of his mouth and nose. _

_Within the darkness, Dalin, Kirani, and Hikari all waited with baited breath. This was the moment of truth. And now D'harim was turning to look directly at them, and his blank eyes seemed all the more horrible because of the situation._

"_I was right. He's more than half-dead. He's all-dead."_

Kirani closed her eyes and turned away, while Hikari cast her eyes to the ground. Both of them were upset to see Kai's end. Dalin on the other hand was staring straight at Kai, his eyes unreadable. "Sumatin, this duel is essentially over, but I always like to finish my duels even if the opponent dies. So once I've finished this up, you're next."

"Do as you wish." Dalin folded his arms and closed his eyes, awaiting what was to come next. D'harim smirked and snapped a card off the top of his deck, giving him two cards in his hand.

"I'd like to discover exactly what would have happened had you been allowed to try for a top deck. So I refuse to sacrifice my next battle phase, thereby destroying my Cross of Lightning instantly." He snapped his fingers and watched in amusement as the giant cross faded away. Kai's body collapsed to the ground without the cross holding him up. Now he truly looked like a corpse, lying broken and still.

"Of course my battle phase is still forfeited this turn, but that's all. There will be a single draw, and then the duel will be over. I cannot be defeated by any opponent, it's that simple. In a short time you will be my prey Sumatin." He cast a glance at Dalin, and to his surprise saw a faint silver glow around the duelist. He could feel power coming off of him in waves.

'_This must be his true power. His strength is impressive, perhaps he is the duelist with the power to defeat me. Bah! Nobody has the strength to defeat me, no mortal that is.'_ He turned away and folded his hand up, ready to continue.

"I end my turn, now let's see what your draw would have been." He trudged over to Kai's prone body, and knelt down. But before he was able to lay his hand on the duelist, a silver barrier rose up around him, and to D'harim's eyes he could see a strange link of energy between Kai's body...and Dalin!

He whirled around and stared at Dalin, not quite certain what was going on. Dalin's eyes snapped open, and they shone with a pure silver light. The four-fingered ring on his right hand was gone, and D'harim could faintly make out a tattoo that had appeared on Dalin's arm bearing the same image. _'The true strength of the Icon of Osiris!'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kai groaned and opened his eyes. Everything swam back into focus, and he found himself looking at a long corridor. It was cold and barren, all of the walls were made of lackluster steel. He stood, using the wall as a brace, and then looked around.

As far as he could tell the corridor went on forever, since he could see no end to it in sight. "Where in the world am I?"

"The Path of the Dead. When you reach the end you will find a doorway, go through that and your soul will pass on to whatever it's fate is." Kai turned around and found someone standing behind him strangely in shadows.

"So...I'm dead then? This is the end of all things?" The other person chuckled and Kai could faintly make out the shaking of a head.

"Not the end of all things, just you. Now get moving, I'm sure there are people on the other side waiting for you. In fact, I know for certain that someone is waiting for you down there. You'll be surprised when you find out who?" Then the shadows faded away, and whoever had been there was gone as if they had never been.

"Dead. I suppose it was bound to happen. Well, that guy was right, I should get moving. There's nothing holding me here." Kai took a moment to steady himself, and then started walking. The minutes seemed to pass by in silence in endless numbers as he walked on and on, with no end in sight.

"I wonder if this is really what Hell is. Forever walking towards a goal, but never able to make it." He sighed, and realized that his own question made him think of another question. He didn't know what fate awaited him at the end of this long walk. Where would he be headed?

"Hell is what we make it. But if you surrender now, then you will find yourself in Hell. Only by struggling against such a fate can you make it to true peace." Kai whirled around at the sound of the familiar voice. Standing behind him was none other than Dalin.

"Dalin? What are you doing here? What are you talking about?" The other duelist closed his eyes and sighed. He shook his head slightly, and then stepped up so that he was standing directly in front of Kai.

"I'm here because you have a task that is incomplete. I'm here because I have been called onwards by the Icon of Osiris. Someone amongst the dead wishes to speak to you, so I will be the conduit which this person may use." Dalin finished speaking, and then his eyes opened, and to Kai's surprise he saw that they were blue instead of their normal green.

"Kai, it's been a while since we talked. I wish I had gotten a chance to say goodbye, and now I have that chance, a chance to tell you what I should have long ago." Kai felt his breath leave him as he stared into those eyes, heard that voice. The eyes belonged to the same person who that voice belonged to. His father.

"Father? I'm sorry father, I wasn't able to crush those who were responsible for your death and mother's death. I'm a failure." He hung his head, knowing that his words were the truth. He only wished he had been able to muster the strength to accomplish the task he had sworn to accomplish.

"You didn't fail me Kai, you didn't fail your mother either. I don't want you to fail your friends, because they need you. So I have just one message to give you before my time is up and I must return." Kai's father sighed, shaking Dalin's head as he prepared to give his message. He seemed sad.

"Life is most precious. To give up on it, despite your pains, is to give up on the rest of the world. Never give up on the people around you, Kai. Despite what they say and what you feel, they all do respect and care for you. Don't be that last candle to suddenly go out, but be the unshaken light that illuminates the souls of others." Kai's father closed his eyes, and then seconds later they opened revealing green irises instead of blue.

"I hope the message has gotten through. Now you have a choice Kai. Continue onwards to your ultimate death without completing your task, or get one last chance. I cannot bring you back for good, but I can give you one final chance. Fifteen minutes is all I can offer. What is your choice?" Dalin extended his hand, waiting for Kai's response.

Kai looked at the extended hand, and then down at his own. Then he made his choice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D'harim stepped backwards slightly as the glow that had been covering Kai shattered, revealing the duelist within. Kai was now standing at his full height, staring straight at D'harim with a confident look in his eyes and his body completely unharmed. "Impossible!"

"Mostly you're right. I have just one chance to defeat you, fifteen minutes is my window, and I will win! Time for me to draw!" He pulled the card free, and kept his eyes closed, gritting his teeth as another unspeakable torture was acted upon Breaker the Magical Warrior. Furthermore he lost half of his remaining life points. (KLP: 500)

Then he slid five cards off his deck, leaving it at significantly reduced size thanks to Hangman's Noose. He flipped up his card, and held it out so that D'harim could see it. "This power, unleashed in honor of my father and mother who died because of people like you. This is my true power!"

White light burned away the darkness that was surrounding them, and a symbol in kanji appeared on Kai's forehead. Dalin smiled slightly at this, and Kirani looked on in shock and recognition at what this symbol meant. "A Heart of Man..."

"I activate Heart of Soul! Its first effect activates, and each player draws one card! If we can activate that card we do so immediately, but if not that card goes to the cemetery." Kai and D'harim's hands dropped to their decks and they drew. D'harim grimaced and slid his card into the graveyard.

"I've been granted Pot of Greed, so I draw two cards!" He slipped another two cards off his deck, and flipped them up so that he could see them. Immediately he slapped on of the two onto his duel disk, and a familiar white and green armored form appeared, teal hair and all.

"Silent Swordsman(1000/1000) will be my weapon! His power increases with the passage of time, and soon he will go from child to mighty adult. By the time that happens I will be ready to crush you." D'harim smirked and motioned for Kai to come and get him.

"Your small fry monster may get stronger with time, but you don't have time. I'll crush you in my next turn, and even if that fails you'll lose all your life points next turn. Unless of course you think that one card can save you." Kai shook his head, and D'harim smirked again, seeing his victory at hand.

"One card won't grant me victory, but it will put me on the right track. Go, Mystic Moon Dial! This magic card advances the turn count by three, and then allows each player to draw two cards. Thanks to the passage of time I get to introduce you to Silent Swordsman Level 3(2500/1000)!" A more adult version of the swordsman now stood in front of him, sword hung over his shoulder. D'harim grimaced, seeing the swordsman nearly as powerful as his strongest monster.

Both duelists drew two cards, giving Kai two cards and D'harim four. D'harim smirked, looking pleased with the cards he had drawn. "With these cards it shouldn't be too difficult to finish you off next turn. So get on with it."

"Time is my enemy right now, but it's also yours. So I activate a familiar card, Spell Overlap! Using its effect I reactivate Mystic Moon Dial, passing three more turns to create Silent Swordsman Level 6(4000/1000)!" The swordsman was now fully adult, and brimming with power. Not only that but each player was able to draw two more cards.

"I get it, your monster is powerful. But it doesn't matter! You have to attack my General first, and no damage can be done to me when it falls in battle. So are you done or what?" Kai shook his head and took one of the three cards he was holding, and turned it to face D'harim.

"Magic Shard Excavation requires I discard two cards, which I can and will. Then I get to add a magic card from my cemetery to my hand. I return and then activate Mystic Moon Dial!" The field warped, and Silent Swordsman Level 9(5500/1000) slashed his sword in an arc, obviously confident in its power. D'harim rolled his eyes and drew two more cards, while Kai did the same thing. Already D'harim had eight cards in his hand.

"I've found the method to stop myself from losing automatically. I activate Heavy Storm, destroying every magic and trap card on the field!" A powerful gust of wind swept away each of D'harim's cards, including the Torture Rack. Breaker remained out of play, but that wasn't a problem. Now Kai couldn't lose from that effect.

"I can't defeat you in this turn, but I will move forwards. My monster attacks with Sword of Silence Level Nine!" The mighty warrior slashed apart Death Knight General with paltry ease, but D'harim's life points remained the same thanks to the General's special ability. D'harim rolled his eyes and held up his hand of eight cards.

"While it was very impressive of you to make your monster that strong so quickly, it didn't really help. I have eight cards in my hand, and I'll have nine next turn. You can't possibly stop all of these cards with that one card in your hand and your Silent Swordsman." Kai smirked in response and slid the card into his duel disk.

"I can and I just have. Hand Obliteration cannot be activated unless it's the last card in my hand, and it is. Now you must discard your entire hand!" D'harim clenched his fists in frustration and shoved his hand of eight cards into the cemetery slot of his Duel Pod. Now neither duelist had a single card in their hand to work with.

D'harim sneered and snapped a new card off his deck, before snapping his fingers. "It's completely useless! Sooner or later I'll draw a card that can obliterate your last life points. Until then I use Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) to revive Death Knight General(2500/1900). I'll also shuffle a card from my cemetery back into my deck." His General reappeared, and then he used the Duel Pod's auto-shuffler to shuffle up his deck.

"Just in case I'll shift Death Knight Reaper(1800/1600) and Death Knight Priest(1000/1000) into defense mode. Back to you Kai. And if I've counted right you only have around ten minutes left." Kai nodded and drew swiftly, knowing his time was running out fast.

"Go, Hand Rebirth!" D'harim dumped his single card into the grave, and then both duelists drew brand new hands of five cards. Kai looked over his shoulder, and seemed to nod to something. D'harim's eyes widened when the light around Kai pulsed, and the darkness around D'harim pulsed in response to that.

"I've just learned another special ability. Shattering of the Soul requires I discard a card from my hand to activate, and then I can remove a monster on the opponent's field from the game. So I remove Death Knight General from play!" The general cried out and vanished in a flash.

"Now your monsters aren't protected. Silent Swordsman Level 10(6000/1000), attack the Death Knight Paladin! Sword of Silence Level Ten!" Silent Swordsman jumped straight forwards, swinging his massive sword in an arc towards the Paladin's head. At the last moment an undead creature in light mail jumped out and was slashed in half.

D'harim slid two cards off the top of his deck and shook his head in amusement. "Had you already forgotten about my Death Knight Page(400/1400)? All I had to do was special summon it from my deck and I blocked your attack and got to draw two cards. Yet again a wasted move."

"Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. We'll find out next turn. Set two cards face down and a monster in defense mode. End turn." That left him with one card in his hand, while once again D'harim had quite a few. However, Kai had a plan in mind, even if he didn't have much time left to implement it.

The moment that D'harim drew, Kai discard his last card into the cemetery. "Hold it right there D'harim! I activate the ability Soul of the Dead! By discarding a card from my hand I can play one card from my cemetery, and I play Hand Obliteration!"

The dark knight of order snarled in annoyance and sent his entire hand to the cemetery, once again leaving him nothing to work with. "You can't stop my Death Knights so easily! Death Knight General returns thanks to the effect of my Death Knight Paladin, and a card returns to my deck!"

'_I'm certain that he returned Death Knight Page to his deck. So I have to find a way to make more than one deadly attack, otherwise I won't accomplish anything. I'm running out of time too fast, so I have to finish this as soon as possible!'_ D'harim folded his arms, waiting for Kai to take his own turn. He had nothing really that he could work with.

He drew, and then slid the new card into the graveyard. "This time I'll prevent you from bringing back your monsters by using Shattering of the Soul on your Death Knight Paladin!" The paladin shattered into nothingness, and D'harim scowled in frustration at seeing his primary monster gone.

"Now I flip my face down monster, Magician of Faith(300/300) whose special ability returns a magic card from my cemetery to my hand!" A spellcaster with purple hair shimmered into view and handed Kai a card. He took it and then held it up over his head.

"Hand Rebirth works for me once more! So let's both draw new hands!" He snapped five cards off his deck, and then after a quick review of his cards, he knew what he could best do. With deliberation he was able to choose a card in his hand and he discarded it.

"For the second time in this duel I'll use my Heart of Soul's ability initial ability. We must both draw the top card of our deck and activate it if we can. So I draw!" They both did so, and when he drew his card D'harim couldn't help but grimace in irritation.

"The card I drew was Death Knight Offering, which requires me to sacrifice all Death Knights on my field. Then I get to shuffle a number of cards from my cemetery into my deck equal to the total level of my monsters. That means my cemetery except for those knights and Deaht Knight Offering return." The knights shattered, and D'harim's deck returned to just about its full size.

"Your luck may be bad D'harim, but mine isn't. Birth of a Breaker is my card, which lets me instantly special summon a monster with 'Breaker' in it's title from my deck, so long as it's level four or lower." A blue armored warrior with a deadly sword with a glowing jewel at the base stepped out from a card and next to Silent Swordsman Level 11(6500/1000).

"This is Effect Breaker(1900/1000). Since he was a special summon he won't remain there on his own for very long. I activate the magic card Cost Down, which requires a discard to activate and then lowers the level of all monsters in my hand by two." He held up his discard, revealing a Repayment of Losses.

"Now I sacrifice Effect Breaker to summon Light Magician(2500/2100). With a clear field, I think I know what to do. Light Magician, attack D'harim directly!" The white robed opposite of Dark Magician raised his staff and fired off a beam of white light. The light struck D'harim in the chest and he stumbled backwards. (DLP: 1500)

"I...I actually took damage? From a small fry duelist like you? This shouldn't be possible!" Kai closed his eyes and thrust out his hand, like he was punching at D'harim.

"Maybe it shouldn't, but right now I don't care what's possible or not. Sword of Silence Level Eleven!" His swordsman attacked, and just like before slashed straight through the Death Knight Page that appeared to block the attack. Although its effort to defeat D'harim had failed, the Silent Swordsman seemed satisfied. After all, the path was still clear. D'harim felt his hand shake slightly, knowing that he was now completely open. He got to draw two cards, but that wouldn't help him right now.

"You're still wide open D'harim! Magician of Faith, Strike of the Faithful!" The female spellcaster charged forwards and brought her staff down on D'harim's shoulder. He grunted, but otherwise seemed unharmed. Magician of Faith smiled at Kai, and he smiled gratefully at her. The damage wasn't great, but every bit helped. (DLP: 1200)

"My turn is over. Your turn D'harim." The dark knight of order snarled, frustrated by Kai's confidence. But he knew that right now it was well founded. Kai had control of the field and D'harim had virtually nothing but a good sized hand.

"Your efforts were good, but not enough! I activate Paladin Unleashed, which summons Death Knight Paladin(2300/2200) from wherever it is, even out of play! Then I use Death Knight Paladin to return Death Knight Page to my deck and revive Death Knight Warlord!" The two knights rode out onto the field, giving D'harim an attack force to work with.

"I attack your puny little Magician of Faith with my Death Knight Paladin!" The Paladin charged straight after his magician, who cowered in terror as the powerful undead creature charged towards her. Kai was ready though, and one of his two face down cards flipped up.

"I play Mechanical Magic Mirror, and reflect Death Knight Offering! Now your monsters are gone!" The two monsters burst into tiny little pieces, leaving D'harim with no monsters to work with and unable to complete his attack. That meant Magician of Faith was safe for the time being.

"I'm not out yet! I discard a card from the top of my deck and revive Death Knight Paladin, then use his effect to revive Death Knight Warlord and return Death Knight Offering to my deck." Once again the two monsters stood at the ready, awaiting D'harim's every command.

"Two cards face down, and a monster in defense mode. Then it's your turn Kai." His three cards appeared before him, and then his turn was done. Kai nodded and drew, giving him four cards, the same number that D'harim was holding.

He slid the card into the cemetery, and then pointed at Death Knight Paladin. "Shattering of the Soul!" The paladin cried out, and then faded away. D'harim didn't react at all this time, because he knew that it had been coming. He had anticipated it.

"Since I've drawn I activate Magic Hourglass! This lets me draw till I hold five cards, and one turn passes for each card I draw. Since I drew three cards, three turns pass, and my monster becomes Silent Swordsman Level 15(8500/1000)!" His monster radiated absolute power with its enormous strength, and was ready to blow away any monster that he attacked.

"While Light Magician is on the field the level of a Dark Magician in my hand is reduced by one, and when a Dark Magician is on the field my Light Magician in my hand has its level reduced by one. Thanks to that the Dark Magician I have in my hand is a level six!" He slapped the card down, and Magician of Faith faded away. Then the purple robed magician formed.

"Now, I have Light Magician(2500/2100), Dark Magician(2500/2100), and Silent Swordsman Level 15(8500/1000)! Sword of Silence Level Fifteen!" A massive wave of energy shot out of the warrior's sword, and connected with the Page that appeared out of nowhere. The attack was negated and D'harim got to draw two cards.

"You've fallen into my trap Kai Kaethen! Face down card open, Pyre of the Undying Knights! This destroys a monster that just killed a Death Knight and instantly ends your battle phase!" Kai grimaced as a wave of darkness swept over his strongest monster and blew it away, leaving him with just his two weaker magicians.

"That's not all! I activate Unleashed Darkness of the Lost, which can only be used when a monster is destroyed by an effect. I gain half that monster's attack points as life points!" Darkness flowed from the spot of the destroyed monster into D'harim's duel disk. Kai sighed, realizing that all his hard work had been done away with in one swift move. (DLP: 5450)

"I set two magic or trap cards face down. That's all I can do." He closed his eyes and awaited D'harim's next move. He didn't have much he could do at the current moment as he was at a slight disadvantage. He was also almost completely out of time. He was pretty sure he was nearing the five minute marker.

D'harim drew, and then burst out laughing. "You just can't keep a good monster down! I activate Paladin Unleashed, and bring back Death Knight Paladin! I'll use his effect to return Death Knight Page to my deck, but that's all I can do as I no longer have any monsters in my cemetery."

"Now, it's time to end this duel. Go, Black Wind of Death! Blow away his oldest face down card!" A black wind roared across the field, heading straight towards the face down card. Kirani grimaced, knowing that Black Wind of Death could not have its activation negated, which meant Kai was finished.

"Normal cards can't stop Black Wind of Death, but this card can! Go, Spell Diffusion! This card negates the effect of one magic card, and since I'm only negating the effect and not the activation it succeeds!" The wind faded away, leaving Kai safe for the moment.

"I'm not done by far! I can crush you with my Death Knight Warlord and his effect! Attack the Dark Magician!" The Warlord charged forwards and slashed his blade down upon the Dark Magician. But at the last second a glowing barrier appeared.

"My Prismatic Reflection Seal negates your attack and destroys all face-up cards on your field at a cost of one thousand life points! I'll also chain with Poison of the Old Man to gain twelve hundred life points!" The Paladin and the Warlord both were blown away by the reflected attack, leaving D'harim's field completely empty. It also left Kai with just his two magicians as his weapons. (KLP: 700)

"You saved yourself there, but it's hardly done. I discard from the top of my deck and revive Death Knight Paladin, and then with his effect I revive the Warlord. Now I set two cards face down and end my turn." Kai nodded and drew, aware that his time was slipping away like grains in an hourglass.

The moment he drew, one of D'harim's face down cards shattered into pieces. "If you're going to use your Heart card, then I'll use mine. By sacrificing one card on my field I can seal one effect for the rest of the duel. So I seal the Shattering of the Soul ability."

Kai nodded, and glanced down at the card he had drawn. He smiled and looked back at Dalin. "I'm fine with that. Now, I activate Polymerization, and fuse together Dark Magician and Light Magician into Supreme Magical Paladin(3000/3000)!" A vortex brought the two monsters together, and then in the same spot was revealed Kai's new monster.

It was the same fusion monster that Dalin had given him when they first reached America, and it was going to save him right now. Its face and body were exactly like both Dark Magician and Light Magician, only it had gold robes. Also, its staff had a bladed bottom. "When this monster is summoned I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field and one monster."

D'harim threw up an arm to block the spray of particles that came when his remaining set card and his Death Knight Warlord were turned into dust. "Now, it's time I activate one of the ultimate abilities of the Heart of Soul. Soul Fusion!"

He discarded a card, and then light connected both him and the Paladin. When the light cleared, he was wearing golden robes and wielded the same weapon. But his chest bore the kanji for soul. "I have become Soul Paladin(3700/3700)! And my initial effect is the same as Supreme Magical Paladin's!"

He pointed his weapon at Death Knight Paladin, and it shattered into a million pieces, leaving D'harim open for an attack. "Time for me to attack!" He jumped straight at D'harim, but only managed to slice in half the Death Knight Page that appeared.

"I anticipated that. Now I discard a card to allow myself to attack a second time during this time! Soul Saber Strike!" He brought the bladed end down across D'harim's chest and blew the knight away. He skidded across the ground and finally stopped about fifteen feet away. (DLP: 1750)

D'harim snarled and jumped back up to his feet, instantly snapping a card off the top of his deck. It was his turn to unleash his power, and now everything was in place. "I was hoping you were the carrier of the Heart of Soul, as this was the moment I was waiting for. Allow me to show you how!"

Death Knight Paladin rose onto the field as he discarded the top card of his deck, and then Death Knight Warlord appeared as well. He also returned a card to his deck from the cemetery. Kai narrowed his eyes, unsure of what D'harim was talking about. "I play Effect Imitation, and discard two cards from my hand!"

A wave of darkness swept around Death Knight Paladin and D'harim, and Kai's eyes widened in surprise as he felt that the energy within was so similar to his own right now. "No...it can't be!"

The darkness drifted aside, and revealed the Death Knight Paladin. Nothing seemed to have changed about it, but D'harim was nowhere to be seen and the Death Knight Paladin was smirking in a familiar manner. "This is the moment I've waited for, my true birth in the realm of the living! Witness the unleashed power of D'harim-Death Knight Paladin(4050/3950)!"

D'harim marched his horse in a circle around the Death Knight Warlord, a sickening smirk plastered on his features. "All these years of effort, and now my goal is achieved. I knew that by serving Eikyuu I would get this chance. When his priests used an ancient ritual to place my soul in the body of a powerful warrior, I had made the first step by becoming the first Death Knight ever to walk in the mortal realm!"

"Now with the help of the Heart of Soul I have been born in the realm of the living in my true form. You see, the story I told about the Death Knights was true, and I am the greatest Paladin of the army of the Death Knights. My efforts will allow the Death Knights to ride forth into this realm, and conquer the world of the living just as we have taken the land of the dead!" All of the other duelists grimaced, realizing that this fellow was dead serious. He truly was an undead creature.

"Now I play Death Blade, and sacrifice Death Knight Warlord to increase my stats by two hundred for each of my monster's levels. So now my strength is raised by sixteen hundred!" In his left hand a pitch black blade formed, and the Warlord vanished, sending its energies into the blade.

"When I crush you, this duel will be over. So here I come!" His horse charged forward, and he raised his blade into the air. He slashed down at Kai, but suddenly Kai's form waved, and it split in two. D'harim's blade cut apart the magician form, which was seen as Supreme Magical Paladin.

"One of the other abilities of Heart of Soul let me split myself from the fusion at a cost of one card from my hand, but it only lasts for one turn. So I was able to save myself by bringing out Supreme Magical Paladin in defense mode." Just as he said, his hand was empty. He was also breathing heavily, the effort of using all these abilities draining him fast, especially as his time was nearly up.

"I'm not bothered. When I destroy a monster it is removed from the game, and I gain one hundred points for each of its levels. Since your paladin was a level eight, my attack and defense points increase by eight hundred!" A white wisp that was obviously a soul flew up and into the blood ruby at the bottom of D'harim's regular blade, boosting his power. Not that he really needed it that much.

"Take your last pathetic turn Kai Kaethen. I thank you for unleashing me into this world, but I have to kill you anyways. Feel happy that soon the entire world will be that of the dead, so you won't be alone!" He laughed long and hard, amused by his own success. He knew that there was no way to stop him now, knew that Kai couldn't defeat him.

Kai drew as fast as he could, because he was just now reaching the one minute point. He had to finish this in a minute or he would be finished for good, he would have failed. The robes formed around him, and once again he was the Soul Paladin(3700/3700). "I'm ready D'harim. I know exactly what I need to do."

D'harim arched an eyebrow, an amused grin on his face. "Is that so? What can you possibly do to defeat me?"

"The Heart of Soul is letting me feel something. From within that armor I can now feel a soul beating in tandem with my own, telling me what to do next. That soul that beats in tandem with my own, that soul isn't yours!" He screamed his challenge into the air, and then on light feet he practically flew across the field towards D'harim.

"If death is your choice, then I'm more than happy to oblige you! Die Kai Kaethen!" He thumped his thighs against his undead horse, and the horse leapt into action. The two deadly paladins charged towards each other, and D'harim slashed down at Kai, while Kai slashed upwards at D'harim.

They came to a halt several feet away from each other. Kai groaned and collapsed forwards, catching himself with his hands before he fell face first against the ground. The robes that had surrounded him shattered, and faded, leaving him in his regular form. "I did what I had to, I did exactly what was needed."

"You lost, that's what you needed to do? How pathetic!" He started to laugh, but was quickly cut off by a cracking noise. He looked down, and saw the armor on his chest had cracks running through it, and the cracks were spreading.

"When I attacked I activate one final ability. Joint Souls. By discarding a card from my hand I linked us together, so when I as the Soul Paladin was destroyed I took no damage, except my life points were reduced by half. In exchange, the destructor is destroyed as well." D'harim's eyes widened in horror as the cracks spread all the way over his armor, and then it blew apart.

The black particles of the armor that had been the Death Knight Paladin wavered in the air for a few seconds, and then faded away. D'harim's body dropped to the ground, knees hitting hard, and he remained there with his eyes closed for the time being. Kai sighed, knowing that it was over, he had taken his one chance, and he didn't know if it had worked. "End turn."

Kai sighed when he saw that D'harim had just drawn, and he realized that he had failed. All his efforts had been in vain. Without speaking D'harim discarded the top card of his deck and the regular Death Knight Paladin appeared, followed by Death Knight Warlord. Then D'harim slapped a card onto his Duel Pod, and Death Knight Foot Soldier(1700/1200) was summoned.

Kirani grimaced, knowing that this was the end. Kai had no cards on his field or in his hand, while D'harim had three powerful monsters ready to attack. There was no way for Kai to win, and somehow she knew that Kai didn't expect to win. "Go ahead D'harim, finish it. My time is nearly up anyways."

"You know, I always like to know how I could have done in a duel, no matter the outcome. So I guess this means that in the end my victory in this duel was certain. It's really a pity then, isn't it?" He turned to Kai and opened his eyes, a smile on his face. To Kai's surprise the eyes were not devoid of color, and were instead a dark brown.

Each of the duelists looked on in surprise as D'harim placed his hand over his deck. "It really is a pity that victory isn't the sort of thing that I would have wanted. Not in this case, but I do have to thank you. You made the right action, you heard my plea, and you saved me from my own mistake. I am Takuya Shinomori once more." (DLP: 0)

Kai smiled, and then the light faded from his eyes as he collapsed. The life was gone from him, as the fifteen minutes were up. He was gone for good now, dead as he would have been if not for the efforts of Dalin.

Takuya Shinomori, also known as Kensai, approached Kai and pressed his hand against the other duelist's face, shutting his eyes. "I hope that one day we may get a chance to duel again, and that if we do meet in battle it will be an honorable and true duel. I bid thee farewell, and bid thee a swift and happy journey."

He turned around, and found himself face to face with Dalin, Kirani, and Hikari. They were all looking at him questioningly, and finally one of them spoke. It was Kirani. "It's good to have you back. We...we could use your help. We've been running out of allies, and we need you right now."

He turned away, his shoulders slumping. "I've made some bad choices that have caused a lot of people pain, that have ended with the deaths of others. I...I need some time to think. For the moment, you're on your own. Good luck."

Kirani looked like she was about to speak again, but Dalin put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. This was Kensai's time, it was a decision that he hade to make. Nobody else could make it for him or change it. "Until we meet again."

The three duelists turned and started to walk away. As they reached the door to the building, Hikari paused and turned back to look at Kensai. "That kindness that came through towards me, that was you the whole time. Thank you."

Then they were gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: That's the end of the mini-arc I called the Hotel of Death Arc. Funny name, but rather true.

_Review Response_

VoidTemplar: I happen to like freaky characters. And I'm sure D'harim appreciates your comment. No, literally.

The White Mage: No, not at all. Eikyuu had no influence on the world until he was released.

Time Mage: Don't you just hate when you're partially right? There was a Heart of Man, but Kai is definitely dead. I actually enjoy writing Kai because he's an intriguing character to play around with.

G.O.T. Nick: Yeah...really I got nothing to say here.

WolfGeneral: D'harim isn't exactly a demon. He's more like foreshadowing...

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

D'harim: Death Knight Paladin, Death Knight General, Death Knight Warlord, Death Knight Reaper, Death Knight Priest, Death Knight Page, Death Knight Offering, Paladin Unleashed, Pyre of the Undying Knights, Unleashed Darkness of Loss, Black Wind of Death, Effect Imitation, Death Blade, Death Knight Foot Soldier

Kai: Heart of Soul, Mystic Moon Dial(TM), Spell Overlap(TM), Hand Obliteration, Birth of a Breaker, Effect Breaker, Light Magician(TM), Repayment of Losses, Magic Hourglass(TM), Spell Diffusion, Supreme Magical Paladin


	31. The Trinity

Author's Notes: Time for another mini-arc. I call this mini-arc 'Trials'.

Also, I'd like to say: **_Happy Birthday Nick!_**

_**Chapter Thirty: The Trinity**_

At the heart of the United Nations building, a man in a black robe was kneeling before a massive throne and the large figure that sat upon it. "That is my report Great Lord Eikyuu."

He waited for a response from his god, and when he received none he took a chance and looked up. To his surprise he saw the masked face of Eikyuu staring off towards a wall, obviously seeing beyond that. "You finished speaking. Leave."

The man, one of the lesser priests, scurried away so as not to incur his god's wrath. It wasn't that Eikyuu ever got angry, but rather that he got bored. Anyone who didn't do exactly as Eikyuu asked was liable to be sacrificed. "Interesting. My Knights have been defeated, just as anticipated. They served their purposes admirably."

Eikyuu turned his implacable gaze upon another lesser priest, and the woman immediately dropped into a bow. "You are female yes? Find for me three females of approximately twenty years of age who are considered attractive."

The priestess didn't know what Eikyuu wanted, as this was a strange request. She was certain that Eikyuu had no interest in sex, in fact he barely seemed to register a person's gender half the time. So why would he want three women who were attractive and twenty? "Amongst the soldiers, or does it not matter?"

"It does not matter. They are to be sacrifices. I want them within the hour." The priestess bowed deeper, and then departed in a hurry. If she wasn't back within an hour her life would be forfeit. She already had three women in mind who would fit Great Lord Eikyuu's requirements and be perfect for sacrificing.

"Let us see how the fallen fair against the strength of the Trinity."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin peered around a corner, and found not a single person patrolling the street. He motioned to his two companions, and they advanced. Hikari was last in line, holding a commandeered rifle at the other two. Since she had the uniform of one of the soldiers they were constantly seeing she was able to pass them off as prisoners and go relatively unnoticed.

They were right now making there way towards an abandoned warehouse. Apparently the people who had been running it were offered as sacrifices for some purpose, leaving it empty. That gave them the perfect place to rest and recuperate. It would also give them the chance to plan their next move.

There were only three of them, against an army of soldiers and the massive power of Eikyuu. They had started their journey with so many others, and now of those who had started out only Dalin and Kirani remained.

Dalin pushed open the warehouse door and marched in, and as soon as Hikari was in as well he closed the door and bolted it. The three of them lowered themselves to the ground to rest their tired feet. "So what now? It's not like we really have anything to go on. We don't even know if we have a time limit on this."

"D'harim seemed anxious about something, but I don't know what. It was like he was on a time table the whole time, but he never talked about it. So I really don't know much else. I'm still mostly confused about what's going on. I've missed nearly five years of my own life, and a lot has happened." Hikari sighed and fingered the Millennium Disc that hung around her neck. The disc that should be her brother's.

Kirani placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, we'll catch you up on everything. But, I've been wondering. Where did you get that?"

"D'harim gave it to me, said I was the one who should carry it now. But I remember giving it to my brother. You two know him right? So where is he?" Dalin and Kirani shared a look, and then they thought of exactly how to explain the situation.

"Over a week ago he went to confront someone, it turned out they were the people trying to bring out Eikyuu. We're not exactly sure what happened, but we do know that Eikyuu was released and now he essentially rules the world. We don't know what happened to Daisuke." Hikari frowned, not sure how to take this.

"Is there really a way to defeat this Eikyuu person? If he's a god, how can we possibly win?" Silence was the only answer she received.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three women of about twenty now stood in front of Eikyuu's throne. Each was completely naked, and each had an infinity symbol scrawled on their forehead in black ink. Eikyuu looked each of them over, and then nodded to the woman who had brought them. "These three are appropriate. The preparations are complete, and I find them satisfactory."

The priestess bowed deeply and then backed away, wishing to watch the ritual sacrifice take place from a distance. There was no telling what would happen. "The three of you have been chosen for an worthy purpose. You will be offered as sacrifices to resurrect my three faithful guardians, my Trinity of truest soldiers."

He walked in front of each of them, towering above them. They all shivered as he passed, awed by his presence. Never before had they stood in front of a god. "You have all proven suitable. You shall be the first."

He stopped in front of the last woman in the line and placed his large hand on her head. Then in one swift motion he snapped her neck, letting her limp body fall to the floor. The scrawled infinity symbol beneath her feet began to glow. "I dub you Ichiji, of the first order."

The woman next in line flinched as Eikyuu placed his hand on her forehead. Then just like the other he snapped her neck and let her fall. "I dub you Asei, of the second order."

The third woman's neck snapped just as easily as the other two, and when her body hit the symbol all three of the symbols started glowing brighter than before. "I dub you San'i, of the third order."

Light blazed around them, covering their forms completely from sight. Eikyuu extended his hand and prismatic energy flowed into each sphere of light, granting his power into it. "You are The Trinity, born again unto this world. Your purpose is to do my bidding, to eliminate those who oppose me. Your purpose is to obliterate The Fallen."

The spheres of light began to open, blossoming like flowers. Waiting within were the forms of three Servants of Order, whose entire purpose was to do Eikyuu's bidding. If the Knights of Order were his left hand, then the Trinity were his right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Al was a simple guy. He had been recruited into Eikyuu's army as a member of the Third File. He served under Lord Nikolas, the Third Knight of Order. Although there were many in the army who were higher than he, as a member of the Army of Order he was still above civilians.

He had followed orders his whole life, doing whatever his bosses told him and never anything more or less. There was absolutely nothing unusual about him in any respect. Nor was there anything special about him. He was one hundred percent average.

Which was why he found it odd that he was now staring at three incredibly beautiful women. Three incredibly beautiful women who happened to be incredibly naked. "Ummm...hi."

"You will take us to a place where clothing is sold. You will do so now." Al gulped, shocked at the harsh and commanding way it was spoken. But then he noticed that each one of them bore a black infinity symbol on their forehead, and knew that made them important.

"Right away uhhh...what should I call you three?" The three women, each one exactly like the other, frowned and consulted with each other. After a few brief moments of deliberation the first one to have spoken turned to him and gave him an answer.

"You will refer to each of us as Lady. I believe that is an appropriate term for nobility in this part of the world. I am Lady Ichiji, that is Lady Asei, and behind her is Lady San'i. Now, lead on." Al nodded and started walking in the direction of the nearest store. He still felt awkward thinking that three naked women were following him through the streets of New York.

'_Well, anything is possible in New York City. That's what they always say isn't it? And to think that none of this would have ever happened had I not been recruited. I guess being in the military has some serious perks.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin had been resting until a few moments previous. He had woken up because he had detected a surge of energy. Something powerful had just made its presence known in New York City. Something very powerful indeed.

Whatever it was, it was stronger than many signatures he had sensed before. The energy he felt was also different than anything else he had ever detected. _'Another threat awaits us. Does any hope of success remain?'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Al gulped at seeing the identical outfits that the three ladies had picked out. They had gone into the mall, and the three had rejected every article of clothing they found. Then they had seen a store that focused on some very naughty things, and they had rushed in like kids at a candy store.

Now each one of the raven haired beauties was dressed in skin tight leather from neck to toe. Al felt like his eyes were going to fall out of his head at this rate. What exactly where these women that they could dress like this or even be so casual about nudity? _'I've never met a girl who acted like this before. It's like they aren't away of sexuality and yet are at the same time.'_

"You are staring." The first one, Lady Ichiji, spoke before the others as usual. Al grimaced and bowed deeply, hoping not to offend them. He was somehow certain that if he did they could kill him like it was nothing.

"I apologize profusely. I didn't mean to." The three women laughed, obviously amused by his reaction. He took a chance and looked up at them, and saw them standing around him in a circle.

The second one, Lady Asei, spoke next. "Do not be afraid for your life. We find it flattering."

Next the third one, Lady San'i took her chance to speak. "In fact, we were considering making you our personal pet. We saw a leash in this store that would work perfectly. Have you ever been a puppy before?"

Al wondered exactly what he had gotten himself into.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later the three beautiful leather clad women walked out of the mall and onto the streets of New York City. There they received numerous stares, most of which they ignored. Yet at the same time they swayed their hips and provoked more stares.

After they had left, a daring couple decided to try out the shop that the three ladies had been in. They had never before experimented with anything risque, but now they felt they might give it a try. They never anticipated what they would find.

When they walked in the store they found a man hanging from a ceiling fan by a leather collar and dog leash. The most peculiar thing about this man was that he had no skin.

They didn't stop screaming until they were sedated half an hour later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin's eyes went wide and he threw himself away from the door just in time. The door exploded inwards, sending shrapnel flying. The surge of energy had been the only thing that alerted him to the oncoming attack.

Although he didn't know what to expect, he knew that there was no time to waste. He raised his arm and fired a burst of energy. The silver ball of light shot through the smoke and exploded against something. There was silence for a moment, and then laughter.

Another surge of energy alerted him to an oncoming attack, and he raised a barrier around Kirani and Hikari. The entire wall of the warehouse that had initially held the door burst apart, spraying the barrier with metal fragments. To Dalin's surprise, in walked three women.

Each one wore black leather and was identical to the next. They all were beautiful with raven black hair and blue eyes the shade of a robin's egg. Each had a black infinity symbol o ntheir forehead. Worst of all was that they were all tremendously powerful. "I like this one, he's feisty. Shall we make him our next puppy?"

The other two smiled at the first's comment, and Dalin grimaced. Somehow he had the feeling that he was outgunned in this situation. But he had no intention of allowing them to just walk all over him. "Kirani, pass me the rifle."

Without a word Kirani did as he asked and he turned the rifle on the three women. The second one cocked her head to the side and in a curious tone said: "What's that he has there? A chew toy of some kind?"

"It doesn't look like a chew toy. Our last puppy had one as well, I think it was meant to be a weapon. It's kind of cute don't you think sisters?" The other two nodded, agreeing with the third of them. Dalin didn't allow another word, and he opened fired. He emptied a dozen rounds into each of the three women before they had a chance to even do so much as blink.

The holes in their bodies covered over in less than a second, and they appeared untouched. It was like the bullets had never been there, and that the damage had not been dealt. "Damn..." Taking a chance he emptied the rest of the clip into them, hoping to at least give them a reason to pause.

While they inspected the various wounds on their bodies Dalin grabbed Hikari and Kirani and kicked open the back door. He bolted out of it, getting the other two running as well. From what he could tell this was a fight that they couldn't win. Had there been assistance from people like Yami and Drake, he might have been able to take them. But on his own he didn't stand a chance.

Back behind them the Trinity expelled the bullets from their bodies, and they turned to look at each other. "We were right, he is feisty. He'll make a good puppy. I bet he'll last longer than the last one."

Smiling to themselves the three identical women began to run after their three targets, intent on catching them. Nobody every escaped them. They were utterly loyal to Eikyuu, unlike their male counterparts. They were beings forged for the purpose of obeying Eikyuu and had over the millennia developed strange quirks.

The Knights of Order on the other hand were by nature disloyal to Eikyuu, only serving him for their own purposes. Long ago Eikyuu had explained the situation to them, and they accepted it, because he had said it. Everything that Eikyuu said was the truth, because lying was beneath him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin, Kirani, and Hikari rounded the corner of a building, and stopped dead. The deadly triplets that had been chasing them were now standing directly in front of them. "Bad puppies, we said stay and you didn't stay."

The first one's elbow collided with Dalin's stomach, and he was hurled backwards into a brick wall. His body smashed straight through it. Kirani took a kick to her side and went down in a heap. Hikari was knocked unconscious by a single strike.

Just like that the three people who were left that could oppose Eikyuu had been proven inferior. Dalin felt like his body had been hit by a sledgehammer, and knew that in a fight with these three he wouldn't win.

However, he had no intention of just sitting back and dying. The three of them didn't see it coming at all. He burst out of the rubble with a metal pipe in his right hand and was on them in a second's time. A powerful swing snapped the first one's head completely around, and dropped her like a rock.

The follow caught the second woman in the throat, and a distinctive crunching sound told Dalin that her windpipe had been crushed. A third swing nearly struck the final of the women, but she managed to jump backwards in time to avoid it. "Naughty boy, you shouldn't try and hurt us."

Out of the corner of his eye Dalin saw the first woman rising up back to her feet. She reached up and straightened her head. To her right the second one was also getting back on her feet, and rubbing her throat with a look of irritation. _'Are they immortal?'_

An explosion of power ripped him off his feet and sent him back into the wall, blowing another hole in it. He tumbled end over end and finally came to a rest about thirty feet from his starting position. The impact and the blast had torn apart the cloak he had taken from Nick.

Dalin groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position. Standing in a circle around him were the three women. He knew that there was no chance to easily stop them, but he had one or two options still left. So he took them.

His hand snapped out and grabbed the middle one's throat, clenching tightly. In a flash he unleashed the power of the Icon of Osiris, and attempted to drag her soul into the land of the dead, which would effectively kill her. The only problem was...

'_There's no soul there!'_ A hand found its way to his neck, and lifted him up off the ground. Another fist planted itself in his stomach, and the woman whose throat he had grabbed pulled away and proceeded to head butt him. Then he was released, and allowed to fall to his knees.

Without having a chance to react he took a knee to the face, and was knocked into the far wall. He slumped up against it, his face bleeding where his nose had been broken. It seemed strange to him that he was being manhandled by three identical women, each of whom was nearly a foot shorter than he was. _'This is my final option.'_

"You three, you want me to be your puppy is that right?" They stopped in their tracks and nodded, each one bearing an identical happy smile. Something about that smile was very eerie, something about it was far from human.

"I'll willingly become your puppy...if you can defeat me in a test of skill, and not strength." The three looked at each other and seemed to consult mentally. Not a word was spoken between the three, but finally they turned to look at him again and offer their answer.

"That card game of yours, that's the test of skill isn't it?" Dalin nodded, and they consulted with each other again. When they were ready the second of the two spoke.

"We'll agree to your proposition because we think it's amusing. But only on one condition." The third one immediately picked up where the second had left off.

"The girl back there also becomes our puppy. It's best to play dress up when you have a boy puppy and a girl puppy." The first girl had already left, and was now returning, dragging Kirani in by her hair. The girl tossed Kirani over next to Dalin, and Dalin caught her before she could hit the ground.

"If that's the case, then she duels with me. If you want us to be your puppies, then you must earn it." With his help Kirani was able to stand, and the two of them activated their duel disks. The three women raised their left arms, and duel disks suddenly appeared on them, decks in place already.

All three of their disks snapped into place, and all five of them drew their opening hand. Then the first of the three drew her sixth card, showing that she would start the duel off. "I am Lady Ichiji, first of the Trinity. My move shall consist of setting two cards face down, and a monster in defense mode." (ILP: 4000)

The second of the three drew her own sixth card and fanned them out. She smiled prettily and then placed her first card on the disk. "I am Lady Asei, and time will soon be out for you two, because my move begins with the infamous Jigen Bakudan(200/1000) in attack mode. In a total of three of my turns it will detonate and take out all monsters on my field in order to damage your life points."

A spherical little creature appeared on her field, with a miniature clock on its front. The hand was pointing towards three at the moment, but at the end of her turn it would drop to two. "Then I set one card face down and my turn is considered to be complete." (ALP: 4000)

Finally the third of the trinity took her turn, drawing her sixth card. Casually she placed a card onto her field, smiling just like the other two were. "I am Lady San'i and I predict dark time ahead for you. I begin by summoning False Prophet-Subara(1000/1000) in face-up defense mode."

A man in red flowing robes appeared in front of her, his hands clasped together and his eyes closed. He also appeared to be chanting something. "My False Prophet's effect will be revealed in due time. Now I set a single card face down and my turn is considered to be completed." (SLP: 4000)

Kirani narrowed her eyes as she looked over her hand. Already she could see a strategy forming, and she knew how to take out Jigen Bakudan before it managed to deal major damage to either of their life points. _'These three may act like professionals, but we'll see just how good they are soon enough.'_

"I set two cards face down. Then I summon Child of the Storm-Gilford(1200/800) in attack mode. That's all for me." Her monster was a youngish man in loose fitting blue armor. A sword was hung over his bag, and it was dragging on the ground because it was much too big for him. This was the child form of Kirani's primary weapon, Gilford the Lightning. When it grew up, then her enemies would be in trouble. (KLP: 4000)

Dalin wiped the blood from his face and looked over his hand, deciding exactly what to do. _'These three women are extremely deadly as opponents in battle, and I doubt they would be this confident if they were unskilled at the game. This will be no simple duel, I'm sure of that.'_

"My turn begins by summoning this creature. Seraphim Sabre(1600/1500)!" An angel figure with wings folded across his body descended from above, holding a long sword in his right hand. The angel turned his eyes upon his foes, and prepared to follow any command of his master.

"Seraphim Sabre will be one of my weapons against you. However, no duelist in a multi-player duel can attack during the first turn. Therefor I set a single card face down, and my turn is over." Now each duelist had their field set up, and the duel could really begin. This was when they learned just what sort of skill their opponents had. (DLP: 4000)

Ichiji drew her newest card, but didn't have a chance to do much before San'i snapped her fingers. San'i's face down card raised up, revealing a man preaching above an army of men who appeared to be melting away. "This is my trap card, Doom Prophecy! I name five cards in my opponent's deck and if those cards exist there, they must be discarded."

She glanced at each of her two counterparts, and then smiled. "For Mr. Puppy's deck I name Card of Sanctity, Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm, Payment of Debt, Sanctuary of the Sky, and Saturn, Angel of Judgment."

Dalin popped his deck out of the slot and searched through it until he came across the five named cards. Then he inserted them into his graveyard. San'i took another glance at her counterparts, and spoke again. "For Mrs. Puppy's deck I name Card of Demise, Enter the Storm, The Gathering Storm, Gilford of Thunder, and Gilford the Lightning."

Just like Dalin before her Kirani searched for the named cards and discarded them. They shot a glance at each other, knowing just what had happened. Each of them had just lost some key cards and some of their best draw power. Ichiji smiled and pressed two buttons her duel disk. "Face down cards open!"

The first trap showed a skeletal dragon in a desert, and the second showed a man smirking coincidentally at a gambling table with dice in his hand. "The first card is Disappear, which will remove one card from the opponent's cemetery! The second is Effect Multiplication, which will multiple the effect of one card by the number rolled. Go Dice Roll!"

A die was spat out of her trap card, and bounced around. Finally it came to rest on a three, and a powerful glow sprang up around Disappear. "This now lets me remove three cards from the cemetery instead of one. So I remove Sanctuary of the Sky, Gilford of Thunder, and Gilford of Lightning."

Kirani and Dalin grabbed the named cards and placed them into their back pockets. It was now starting to become obvious that these three were in perfect synch, which would make this duel all the more difficult. "Now it's my other sister's turn."

Asei snapped her finger, and her trap was revealed. It depicted a man with his arm strapped down on a table, and a knife descending towards it. His hand was holding a group of cards. "This is Hand Slashing, which forces every player to discard half of their hand to the cemetery!"

In one swift move every player but Kirani was left with two cards in their hand. Kirani had just one as she had been forced to round up. Ichiji spoke up again to continue her turn. "I activate Foolish Burial, which lets me take a monster from my deck and send it to the cemetery."

A card ejected from her deck and she caught it easily. Then she placed it in the cemetery, and looked at the remaining card in her hand. "I set this one card face down. My turn is over."

Asei smiled brightly at her draw, and instantly played it onto the field. A huge monster with a pike and a metal shield now stood in front of her, holding the pike out to ward off attackers. "Meet one of my strongest creatures, Supreme Offense Defender(2700/0)! My monster cannot attack under any circumstances, but if my opponent attacks they must attack this monster."

Kirani and Dalin both looked over at Jigen Bakudan, whose timer was slowly moving past the two. Now they knew her plan, to keep out a powerful monster in order to deal serious damage and keep them from destroying Jigen. "Now I set one magic or trap card on the field. End!"

San'i smiled and as soon as she had drawn her card Subara opened his eyes, revealing them to be glowing blue. Dalin's deck also started to glow blue. "During my standby phase False Prophet-Subara allows me to name one card in the opponent's deck. If it exists there it must be discarded to the cemetery. So I name Justice For All!"

Dalin flipped through his deck to find it, and then got rid of it before shuffling his deck back up. San'i gave a satisified look to her two sisters and grabbed another card in her hand. "I summon False Prophet-Typherio(300/2100) in defense mode."

A heavy set man in identical robes to Subara was her new monster, and his eyes were open and glowing green. "Once per turn Typherio allows me to discard the top card of the opponent's deck. So Mrs. Puppy must discard her top card."

Kirani grimaced and shoved the top card of her deck into the graveyard. San'i smiled brightly and slid another card onto her duel disk. "I set a single card face down. Now Mrs. Puppy gets to take her turn."

She drew for her turn, and then her grimace turned quickly into a smirk. "I'm going to destroy Jigen Bakudan right now with one of my monsters!" She slammed it down onto her disk, not caring that Asei seemed amused by her declaration.

"This is Mage of Lightning-Gilford(1600/1300). He lets me sacrifice a monster to destroy an opponent's monster, so I sacrifice him to destroy Jigen Bakudan!" Mage of Lightning disappeared and formed into a ball of lighting. The ball of lightning shot across the field and slammed into the infamous time bomb, blowing it away completely.

"That's all for me. Your turn Dalin." The angel duelist nodded and snapped another card off his deck, giving him three cards to work with. Already he had figured out their joint strategy, to eliminate their best cards and cut them off from their strategies while simultaneously attacking and dealing damage. It was a brilliant strategy.

"I set one card face down and place a monster in defense mode. Since Supreme Offense Defender is in play, I cannot make an attack. Until I can, my turn is over." He folded his arms and waited patiently for his opponents to take their turns, knowing that for the time being they were safe.

Ichiji clapped her hands happily and reached down for her duel disk. She picked up her monster and showed it to them, revealing a Sangan(1000/600). "I sacrifice my face down Sangan in order to set a monster on the field. This will let me search my deck for a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points."

A card ejected from her deck and she caught it. Then she flipped it around, showing a picture of a woman with wings and tears in her eyes. "This is my Tearful Angel(300/100). I can discard her from my hand at any time to draw two cards from my deck. So I discard it and draw twice."

She snapped two more cards off her deck, and then smiled. She flipped around one of her cards and showed it to them. "This is Dragged Down Into The Grave. It lets me look at another player's hand and discard one card from their hand. At the same time I must discard one from my hand. Then each of those two draw a card."

Smiling she pointed at Dalin, who flipped around his card to reveal a Holy Shine Sphere(500/500) which he promptly discarded. Ichiji showed her own card to be a high level monster, which she casually discarded. "My card was Beast of the Depths(2600/2600) who forces me to send two monsters from my deck to the grave when he goes to the cemetery because of an effect."

Not only did she draw a card, but her deck also spat out two monsters which she caught. She flipped them around, showing them both to be familiar monsters, which were discarded. "These were Tearful Angels(300/100), and since they went to the grave I draw two cards for each."

She fanned out her full hand of five cards, and clapped her hands with joy. "Perfect! I play Sacrifice for Spell Gathering. I have to discard monster to add magic cards from my deck to my hand, but they can't be played this turn. So I discard two monsters and get two magic cards in exchange." She slid the cards into her grave and caught another set of cards from her deck.

"Until I do get to play them, I set a single card face down. Now for my sister to take her turn." She flashed Asei a smile, and the second of the trinity smiled back, drawing her own card to start off her turn.

Asei instantly pressed a button on her duel disk, and a trap depicting a graveyard appeared. "Call of the Haunted lets me return Jigen Bakudan(200/10000) to the field in attack mode. Not only that, but I get to summon a second Supreme Offense Defender(2700/0)!"

Now she had two of her beastly level four monsters, and her deadly time bomb. Dalin narrowed his eyes at seeing how she was holding the card she had just drawn. He knew what was about to happen. "Time's running out! I activate Time Jump, accelerating time by three turns, which instantly detonates Jigen Bakudan!"

The bomb exploded, taking out the two mighty level fours. The excess blast washed over Dalin, shoving him backwards into the wall behind him. "The effect of my time bomb deals a total of twenty-eight hundred damage to your life points Mr. Puppy!" (DLP: 1200)

Ichiji snapped her fingers, and a card on her field flipped up. "I activate Sudden Revival, which works when all the monsters on a player's field are destroyed by an effect. Those monsters are instantly returned to the field! So my sister gets her three monsters back!"

Jigen and the two pikemen appeared exactly as they had been, only Jigen's hand was once again at the three. That meant they had another chance to blow a massive chunk out of Kirani or Dalin's life points. "I end my turn!"

Now the turn was back to San'i, who was ready to deal more damage to their decks. Her two monster's eyes opened, glowing their respective colors as their effects kicked in. "Typherio discards a card off of Mrs. Puppy's deck, and I name Monster Reborn in Mr. Puppy's deck according to Subara's effect."

Dalin ditched his Monster Reborn from his deck, surprised to see it was his top card. Kirani likewise discard her top card, dealing just a little bit more damage to their decks. "Now I summon False Prophet-Veritas(0/1900) in defense mode. Veritas, activate your effect!"

A stern looking man in robes appeared, and snapped his eyes open. They had a fierce red glow to them, and that same glow showed up around Dalin and Kirani's hands. Giant images of the cards appeared above their hands. "As long as Veritas is in play the opposing player, or players in this case, must play with their hands open."

Dalin's card was his trap Energy Absorption, while Kirani's was the equip magic card Lightning Blade. San'i flashed her sisters a bright smile, as now they knew exactly what their opponents had in their hands. "So fast you two are losing. Soon you'll be our puppies! I predict it perfectly!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: The Trinity sure are creepy girls aren't they?

_Review Response_

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

San'i: False Prophet-Subara, Doom Prophecy, False Prophet-Typherio, False Prophet-Veritas

Kirani: Child of the Storm-Gilford, The Gathering Storm, Gilford of Thunder, Enter the Storm, Mage of Lightning-Gilford

Dalin: Payment of Debt, Joyful Light of the Heavenly Realm, Justice For All

Ichiji: Effect Multiplication, Tearful Angel, Beast of the Depths, Sacrifice for Spell Gathering, Sudden Revival

Asei: Hand Slashing, Supreme Offense Defender


	32. Dawn of Fate

Author's Notes: Here comes more of the Trinity.

Also, I'd like to say: **_Happy Birthday Nick!_**

Chapter Thirty-One: Dawn of Fate

_Ichiji snapped her fingers, and a card on her field flipped up. "I activate Sudden Revival, which works when all the monsters on a player's field are destroyed by an effect. Those monsters are instantly returned to the field! So my sister gets her three monsters back!"_

_Jigen and the two pikemen appeared exactly as they had been, only Jigen's hand was once again at the three. That meant they had another chance to blow a massive chunk out of Kirani or Dalin's life points. "I end my turn!"_

_Now the turn was back to San'i, who was ready to deal more damage to their decks. Her two monster's eyes opened, glowing their respective colors as their effects kicked in. "Typherio discards a card off of Mrs. Puppy's deck, and I name Monster Reborn in Mr. Puppy's deck according to Subara's effect." _

_Dalin ditched his Monster Reborn from his deck, surprised to see it was his top card. Kirani likewise discard her top card, dealing just a little bit more damage to their decks. "Now I summon False Prophet-Veritas(0/1900) in defense mode. Veritas, activate your effect!"_

_A stern looking man in robes appeared, and snapped his eyes open. They had a fierce red glow to them, and that same glow showed up around Dalin and Kirani's hands. Giant images of the cards appeared above their hands. "As long as Veritas is in play the opposing player, or players in this case, must play with their hands open."_

_Dalin's card was his trap Energy Absorption, while Kirani's was the equip magic card Lightning Blade. San'i flashed her sisters a bright smile, as now they knew exactly what their opponents had in their hands. "So fast you two are losing. Soon you'll be our puppies! I predict it perfectly!"_

Kirani grimaced and drew her card, which instantly had a holographic form appear above her head. "You can see my card, so I might as well play it. Go, Crash of Thunder! During this turn no magic or trap card can be chained against the attack or summon of a monster with Gilford in its name!"

Then she snapped her fingers, and electricity surged around the Child of the Storm. "This is the second standby phase that he's been in play, so now I sacrifice him to special summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) to the field! Not only that, but his effect activates!"

The mighty warrior that was her greatest weapon in her deck swung his blade, and a bolt of lightning crashed down on Asei's field, blasting apart the two pikemen and the time bomb. "Now, since you can see my other card I'll equip it. Gilford gains the Lightning Blade, boosting his attack by eight hundred!"

Gilford the Lightning took up the second blade, and his attack power shot up to thirty-six hundred. "I've got a clear field and it's time for me to go on the attack! Gilford the Lighting, attack Lady Asei directly!"

Gilford jumped forwards and slashed both of his swords across Asei's chest, hurling her backwards. She pouted in disappointment as her life points shrank severley, leaving her in the red zone. All it would take was a measly attack to finish her off. "That was mean of you." (ALP: 400)

"Mean or not, it was certainly effective. Don't think that you'll easily finish us off. Turn end!" She smirked, feeling satisified that she had done her part. That one was dangerous, having the capability to deal serious direct damage to their life points. But the one she was most worried about was San'i, whose deck destruction tactic was burning away their best cards.

Dalin drew, and his card appeared above him. On it an angel appearing to be singing, and little cherubs were dancing to the music. "I activate my magic card, Song of Angels. Provided I have an angel, I may gain fifteen hundred life points. That makes this magic card one of the best life point gain cards in the game of Duel Monsters." (DLP: 2700)

"Next I set one card face down. End turn." His Energy Absorption vanished and then appeared face down on his field. Although the opponent's knew what it was, that didn't make it any worse of a trap. It was still an excellent method to stop attacks and gain life points.

Ichiji snapped another card off her deck, and then took another card from her hand and slid it into her duel disk. "I start off with one of the magic cards I searched for. Painful Choice! I now search my deck for five cards and show them to you. You pick one and the rest are discarded to the grave."

She searched her deck swiftly, and then return it to its normal position after shuffling. She held up her hand and five holographic images appeared in front of her. "Beast of the Depths, Beast of the Depths, Grave Zombie(900/900), Grave Zombie, and Grave Zombie. Take your pick Mrs. Puppy."

Kirani grimaced and pointed at one of the Grave Zombies. After she did so the rest of the cards vanished, and Ichiji added the Grave Zombie to her hand. Her deck then started to groan as it spat out several cards. "According to my two Beasts effects I send two monsters to the grave. Then by the effect of each Grave Zombie I send a monster along with them to the grave to gain five hundred life points." (ILP: 5000)

Six cards spat out of her deck, and she shoved them into the grave along with the other four cards she had chosen. She smirked and took another card from her hand and activated it. "I play Monster Summoning, which lets me special summon one monster from my hand by discarding another monster. So I discard Grave Zombie and use its effect!" Her deck ejected another monster and she slipped the two into the grave. (ILP: 5500)

Dalin clenched his fists in frustration, realizing what was about to happen. _'She has twenty-two monsters in her graveyard and all she's been doing is discarding monsters. I know exactly what that face down monster is and what force she intends to unleash!'_

"Thanks to Monster Summoning I now bring out my ultimate creature! Come on out Chaos Necromancer(6600/0)!" Her monster prepared itself to attack by drawing on energy from the graveyard, and its power skyrocketed.

"Chaos Necromancer has an attack equal to the number of monsters in my graveyard times three hundred. That's twenty-two times three hundred, which is sixty-six hundred! But I'm far from done, because I summon Bringer of Beasts(500/1500)!" A simple looking fellow in old fashioned clothes appeared, holding a flute up to his lips.

"This pied piper requires that I sacrifice him and then I get to special summon one monster from my deck to the field of the same level as another I have. So I sacrifice him to summon the second Chaos Necromancer(6900/0)!" An identical creature appeared, giving her an enormous attack force to work with.

"Now I flip my face down monster up, revealing Shadow Ghoul(3900/1600)!" A green beast with sharp talons stood next to her two necromancers, adding his power to theirs. Although its effect was nowhere near as devastating as the Chaos Necromancer's, he was still a force to be reckoned with at his current level of power.

"My three deadly beasts will now attack you all out! The first Chaos Necromancer goes after Seraphim Sabre and Shadow Ghoul attacks your set monster!" The two monsters charged forward, with the third not far behind. But Dalin wasn't about to let this attack continue unabated. He was ready, and he activated one of his face down cards.

"Reveal Draining Shield, to negate Chaos Necromancer's attack! Not only that but I will gain its attack power as life points!" A shield appeared on his arm, and he raised it up to block Chaos Necromancer's attack. Suddenly a purple wisp of smoke crossed the field and covered his shield, shattering it.

"My counter trap is called Trap Jammer, and it negates the activation of your trap and destroys it! Care to try again?" Dalin grimaced and motioned to one of his two remaining sets, and a red beam of energy shot out from it to connect with Chaos Necromancer.

"Energy Absorption negates one monster's attack and increases my life points by half of its attack power! Then the battle phase ends instantly!" Ichiji laughed in amusement as another of her face down cards flipped up, and another cloud of purple smoke broke apart his trap.

"A second Trap Jammer blows apart one of your best traps! You have one more face down card, so do you have any other magic or traps that you think you can play?" Dalin nodded and snapped his fingers. His final face down card came up, and a bright light surrounded Seraphim Sabre. Chaos Necromancer proceeded to blow it into tiny pieces.

"My final trap is called Holy Aura, and it ends your battle phase when one of my angels is destroyed. Also I gain the difference in damage to my life points instead of losing it." The two remaining monsters retreated, leaving Dalin safe for the time being. Not only that but he gained a significant number of life points. (DLP: 8000)

"You're a really impressive duelist Mr. Puppy. But my three beasts will tear you apart soon enough. I just have to wait until my next turn. Till then, stay happy and safe!" She smiled and nodded to her sister, who promptly drew a card for the start of her turn.

Asei pouted slightly at her single card and then placed it on the duel disk. "I set a monster in defense. That's all I have since Mrs. Puppy blew away my field. She'll have to be punished for that soon."

San'i drew and frowned at her sisters. "Asei, you are far too weak. Poor poor weakling. And you Ichiji, you are far too reckless. You must look forwards, not to the past. Only by doing so can you be truly strong. So watch what happens now!"

She pointed to Kirani, and Typherio's hands snapped open. The top card of Kirani's deck was blasted off, and she had to send it to her cemetery. Then San'i pointed at Dalin, and a blue glow surrounded his deck as Subara opened his eyes. "Rise to Heaven!"

Dalin frowned and took the named card from his deck and sent it to the cemetery. Something about this whole situation seemed unusual. _'It's as if they know all the cards in our decks. Yet they don't even know what our names are. Perhaps...hmmm, that may be the case.'_

"I understand now exactly what you three are and what you are doing! You are incarnations of power. Ichiji, whose name quite literally means 'first in an order' is the incarnation of the Heart of Past." Next he pointed at Asei, and she blinked in surprise.

"Asei whose name means 'second of the sages' is the incarnation of the Heart of Present. At the same time San'i who is 'third in line' is the Heart of Future. You three are Hearts of Man!" The three sisters giggled and embraced each other, looking highly amused.

"The puppy is very smart, he figured out our secret so fast. We see your past, we see your present, and we see your future. All your strategies are open to us, and we know all that is too come. Of course we have our limits, but we still outmatch you two!" Dalin and Kirani set themselves at the ready, because even though the knew the truth that didn't change the situation.

"Now, back to my turn. I play False Prophetic Vision, which first shows me the top five cards of one player's deck. Mr. Puppy shows me his five cards!" Dalin drew five cards and held them up over his head. They appeared in holographic form, and San'i inspected all three of them.

"Pluto, Angel of Weakening. Earth, Angel of Destruction. Voice of Heavens. Speak No Evil. And last but not least is Sanctity of the Buried. Now that I've seen them, you get to rearrange the order." Dalin nodded as the five cards vanished, and he returned them to his deck in a completely different order.

San'i smiled and held up one finger as if counting. "Next up I get to name the new order. Every card in that order that I guess correctly goes to the cemetery. So first in the order is...Speak No Evil."

Dalin drew, and flipped his card around. "You guess correctly, so Speak No Evil is discarded to the cemetery." He slid it into the grave, and then waited patiently.

"Second card is Earth, Angel of Destruction." Dalin drew and showed her that she was indeed correct. So he discarded Earth, Angel of Destruction. That left three more cards to be named.

"Next I name Voice of Heavens." Dalin picked up the card, and revealed Pluto, Angel of Weakening. San'i pouted, and then tapped her finger against her chin, trying to decide what she thought the next card would be.

"Sanctity of the Buried is your next card isn't it?" He drew, and revealed that once more she had guessed correctly, so Sanctity of the Buried was tossed into the cemetery. That meant that the final card was obvious since she had guess three of four correctly.

"Your last card is actually Voice of Heavens now isn't it? So send it to the grave." The angel duelist did so, having been forced to get rid of four more cards from his deck. San'i smirked and folded her arms, showing that she had nothing more to do for the turn.

Kirani drew, and smirked at the sight of the card. San'i frowned at Kirani's confidence, not liking what she was seeing at all. "Veritas requires that you show me your hand! So show me your hand already!"

"Of course. Here it is, the second Lightning Blade!" She slipped it into her disk, and Gilford sheathed his normal weapon. He grabbed the Lighting Blade out of mid-air and crossed the two weapons. Lightning sparked between them as his power surged upwards to an impressive forty-two hundred attack.

"Gilford the Lightning will attack Shadow Ghoul!" Gilford jumped up into the air, and then came down fast. His twin blades sheared straight through Shadow Ghoul, and it exploded into chunks. Even as the chunks rained down on the field the two necromancers gained power. (TLP: 4700)

"That's all I can do for now. So my turn is over." Kirani smirked, knowing that she had done her piece. She also had something else in mind that required her to get Ichiji's attention. Hopefully this attack had done so.

Dalin drew, and immediately placed his card on the field. "Pluto, Angel of Weakening(1500/0) in defense mode. That's all." Kirani frowned, hoping that Dalin soon drew something good. Although Pluto's effect was worthwhile, it was currently the only thing he had protecting himself, and she couldn't completely save him if he was attacked.

Ichiji smirked and held out her newest card. "Foolish Burial normally lets me send one monster to the grave, but my face down card lets me change that. Go, the second Effect Multiplication!"

A die shot out of her card, and proceeded to roll face-up on a four. That meant that Ichiji got to discard four monsters from her deck and power up her Chaos Necromancers. "Since I now have another four monsters in the grave my Chaos Necromancers(8400/0) become nearly invincible!"

"If your monsters are so invincible, then how come your Shadow Ghoul fell so easily to my Gilford the Lightning. Looks to me more like your monsters are just faking real power. They don't have any actual strength." Ichiji's eyes blazed with irritation, and she punched straight at Gilford the Lightning.

"We'll see who's weak! Chaos Necromancer, destroy Gilford the Lightning!" Her necromancer charged into the fray, but suddenly a barrier of electricity appeared. Chaos Necromancer's body began to convulse as thousands of volts of electricity flowed into it.

"Your monsters are, just like I said. My Storm Barrier destroys the attacking monster and inflicts seven hundred life points of damage to the owner. So meet your own weakness!" Chaos Necromancer exploded, and streaks of lightning shot out to collide with Ichiji. She shrieked as the lightning ran through her body. (ILP: 4000)

Her eyes went wide as she say strands of hair floating around in front of her. She patted her head, and discovered that her head had gone completely frizzy. Kirani smiled smugly at this sight. "You've gone from beauty to bride of Frankenstein. Nice job."

"I hate you! Bad puppy must be punished! Chaos Necromancer(8700/0) will kill Gilford the Lightning!" A blast of black energy ripped apart Gilford the Lightning, and parts of it slammed into Kirani, knocking her into the wall. Ichiji clapped in amusement at seeing the damage done. (KLP: 2300)

"That should have done forty-five hundred damage and finished you off! That's not fair!" Kirani smirked and motioned to her other face down card, which was now face up. It appeared to be a simple metal rod on a box, and electricity was flowing into it. Suddenly it exploded, and a tall form appeared in its place.

"My remaining trap was Lightning Rod, which absorbed twenty-eight hundred points of damage and then was destroyed. When it was destroyed I was able to activate its effect and special summon Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400). Not only that, but Gilford the Lightning gets to activate his special ability!" Ichiji shrieked as a bolt of lightning blew apart Chaos Necromancer, leaving her field completely empty.

"But...but my monsters...end." She pouted, looking extremely disappointed. Her two sisters were glaring at her, obviously upset about how she had been so easily misled into having her best monsters destroyed. Now she was completely defenseless.

Asei drew, and pouted just like her sister. She set the card onto her field, and then she motioned to her sister. "All I can do is that. San'i it's your turn now."

The third sister frowned, obviously irritated with her two other sister's failures. Now she was practically carrying them through this duel. "Typherio, destroy the top card of Mr. Puppy's deck!" Dalin dutifully discarded his card.

San'i then motioned to Subara, whose eyes opened. "Mrs. Puppy now has to discard Formation of Lightning from her deck." Kirani searched for the card and easily discarded it. She doubted she would have gotten the chance to activate it this turn anyways.

"Now I summon False Prophet-Metrion(700/1600) in defense position. During each of my opponent's turns I can name one card in their hand. If it exists there, they have to discard it. Can you see the combo?" Dalin and Kirani both frowned, realizing that since they were both top decking that neither would be able to get any new cards.

"My turn ends there." Kirani drew, and immediately Gilford of Thunder was blown out of her hand. With nothing new to play, she had only one choice. It was time to go on the attack once again and hope for the best.

"Gilford the Lightning, attack Lady Ichiji with your Thunderbolt Cut!" Gilford roared and slammed his sword down on her shoulder, driving her to her knees. She grimaced, upset at losing so many life points and that neither of her sisters had bothered to defend her from the attack. (ILP: 1200)

Next it was Dalin's turn, and he drew only to have his Pot of Greed blasted away. He narrowed his eyes, and the motioned at Subara. "I've decided to test your bluff. Pluto, eliminate Suabara!" A wave of energy from the angel burned away the False Prophet.

"Just as I thought. And in my next turns I will destroy your other prophets, as will Kirani. End turn." The other two sisters stuck their tongues out at San'i, who now looked like she might be equally in trouble as they were.

Ichiji drew and smiled at whatever she had drawn. "I set a monster in defense mode, and that's all for me."

Asei drew, and then motioned to her sister. "I pass this turn. San'i has the field again."

San'i drew her next card, and then smiled at what she saw. She shared a glance with her sister, then carefully placed the monster she had drawn onto the field. "I set a monster. Now Typherio destroys the top card of Mr. Puppy's deck."

Dalin discarded it, pausing for a moment at what he had seen. He smirked slightly, barely noticed by any of them. "I...end my turn."

Kirani snapped a card off her deck, and instantly flipped it around, revealing Mystical Space Typhoon. "Before you can blow it out of my hand I'll chain it to destroy that face down card of yours, just in case."

The only face down card on the field vanished as a little gust of wind shattered it. "Now, time to close you off from seeing what we have. Gilford the Lightning attacks Veritas and blows it away!" Her monster slashed the truth seer in half, breaking down San'i's hand lock combo. Now they could freely draw without impediment.

"End Turn!" The three sisters frowned, realizing that now their opponents had a chance to recover. There was no telling what these two were capable of when they really had the chance to really make a comeback. It was bound to be bad for them.

Dalin snapped a card off his deck, and then surveyed the field. _'They're planning something, but risking an attack is foolish. For the moment my best option is to defend.'_

"I set one card face down, and then I move Pluto, Angel of Weakening into defense mode. End turn." His blue skinned angel shifted into a crouching position, and then he was finished for the time being.

Ichiji now had her turn, and she knew exactly what to do. "I've got just one thing to do for the moment. I flip my face down monster, and reveal Saga-Seer of the Past(1600/1200)! Each turn she lets me activate one card effect in the cemetery, unfortunately I have to wait till the standby phase to do this."

The monster that she had flipped looked exactly like her, only it was dressed in white form fitting robes. Both Dalin and Kirani knew that a card looking like its owner was never a good thing. "My Saga is of no use at the moment, but soon she will be part of the cause of your demise. End turn!"

Asei flipped her newest card around, and smiled as one of her face down monsters vanished into the wind. "I activate Magic the Gathering. By sacrificing one monster I can add a magic card from any player's deck into a player of my choice's hand. So I'll take a magic card from my deck and put it into my sister San'i's hand."

San'i smirked and walked over to Asei. Asei then took a card from her deck and handed it to San'i who gladly accepted it. Then they both return to their previous positions, ready for the turn to continue. "Thank you sister, I shall use this magic card well."

"Of course sister, I know you will. Now I flip a set monster of my own. Come out Circa-Seer of Today(1700/1300)! As long as she is in play all effects we play are doubled!" Yet another identical monster appeared, the only difference being this one wore a green dress instead of a white one.

"Like Saga her effect will not be used yet. However she is still part of the trinity that will be the cause of your demise. In only a short time you will be utterly finished!" She cackled with joy, and finished her turn at that.

The third of the sisters slipped a card off her deck, and then pointed at Kirani. Typherio opened his eyes, and the top card of Kirani's deck was blasted away. Then she reached down to her duel disk. "Prepare the final member of the trinity which will cause your demise. Kismet-Seer of Fate(1800/1400)!"

This one was also identical, but wore a red dress. "While Kismet is face-up on the field I draw one card during the end of my turn. Under normal circumstances with Circa in play this would mean I drew two cards each end phase. But I have something much worse in mind."

Dalin narrowed his eyes as he felt the power between the three begin to build up. Their strength was rapidly growing, and their connection with these three monsters were also growing with each second. "Prepare to meet your fate at the hands of the magic card my sister gave to me through her card's effect!"

She held the card up over her head, and a sphere of light began to consume their side of the field, covering all the monsters and themselves. From within her voice could be heard. "My magic card is Dawn of Time, and can only be activated when the three Seers are in play! It returns all cards to our decks and lets us draw five cards!"

The sphere of light started growing, taking up everything they had previously seen. Then it started to open like a flower, and Dalin could feel power pulsing within. Slowly it opened, and revealing four women. Ichiji, Asei, San'i, and something else that stood in front of them. "This is the moment of truth when your fate is revealed! The joining of our power!"

The identical woman in front of them had robes that glowed with an intense inner light, and it was radiating raw power. Whatever it was, it was incredibly deadly. "Dawn of Time also lets us sacrifice our three Seers in order to summon a creature with unlimited power!"

The beautiful monster raised her hand over her head and let loose a crystal clear note that shook the entire building they were in. "This is Trinity-Seer of Destiny(4000/4000) a divine creature of incredible power!"

"Trinity, attack Gilford the Lightning!" Trinity raised one hand, and Gilford suddenly shattered into tiny pieces. Kirani grimaced as her monster faded away. Her life points also trickled away from the difference in power between the two. (KLP: 1100)

"Now I set one card face down, and that's the end of my turn." She smirked, happy with the damage she had done. The three sisters chuckled in amusement at the predicament that they had created for their opponents.

Kirani closed her eyes, and then drew. A bright red glow exploded around her, and the card in her hand vanished as kanji appeared on her forehead. "The Heart of Love will be my weapon against you two. I can now let one player draw two cards at a cost of five hundred life points. So Dalin will draw two cards!" (KLP: 600)

Dalin nodded and drew twice. "These two cards...one for each of us. That is what this is." Kirani smiled at him, and then finished her turn.

Next he drew for the start of his turn, and fanned out the three cards in his hand. "I start by setting a monster in defense mode. Then I set one magic or trap card face down. End Turn."

Ichiji drew, and motioned to Trinity. "I activate the effect of Trinity. Once per turn the controller discards the top card of their deck out of play. Then Trinity's attack and defense points double to eight thousand a piece!"

Trinity's power shot up, and then she raised her hand to point at Kirani. "My mighty Trinity shall attack Mrs. Puppy directly to finish her off for good!"

A stream of light shot out, and then vanished away. Dalin popped five cards out of his cemetery and placed them in his back pocket. "I used the effect of Sanctity of the Buried to negate your attack at a cost of five cards from my graveyard."

"Fine with me. My turn is over!" She smirked, leaving six cards in her hand. Obviously she had something planned. Plus each turn Trinity's attack would double, and it would quickly become enormously powerful.

Now it was Asei's turn, and she immediately tossed aside the top card of her deck. "Trinity reaches an enormous power of sixteen thousand!" Trinity's glow raised, as did its power. That made it even a greater threat.

"I attack with Trinity!" The next blast of light flickered out before it managed to strike either duelist, leaving no trace behind. Dalin held up the card he had face down, revealing it to be a quick-play magic card.

"Light Barrier allows me to defend us from being attacked by monsters for the duration of the turn. That means you're done." Asei scowled and slid two cards from her hand onto her duel disk, before finishing her turn.

San'i discarded her card for the turn, and Trinity became a demon of thirty-two thousand points. "Now I activate my face down card, Effect Speciality Activation! Each of us discards our hands to activate our monster's passive ability once for each. That's fifteen times doubled!"

Dalin and Kirani watched in awe as Trinity doubled fifteen times in a row. "This is the unlimited power of Trinity-Seer of Destiny(1048576000/1048576000)!" Its power was absolutely awe inspiring, and somehow more threatening than Taichi's Knight of Kuriboh because it had a real number as an attack and defense.

"Now, attack them Trinity!" Before the attack even got going Dalin's remaining set card revealed itself, and a spirit of some sort wrapped around Trinity holding it in place. Trinity shattered the bonds, and then sat still.

"Your Trinity fell prey to my trap card, Soul of Light which prevents your creature from attacking and raises my life points by one hundred times the level. So thank you for the life points." Soul energy flowed into his duel disk, and pumped up his life points. (DLP: 9200)

"So be it! My turn is over!" She scowled and folded her arms across her chest, upset but still confident in the absolute strength of her god. After all, it had over a billion attack and defense points, more strength than any other beast could possibly have.

Kirani drew, and then slapped a card onto her duel disk. "Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in defense mode. Go ahead Dalin, finish them off."

Dalin nodded, and snapped two cards off his deck according to the effect she had granted him. "Now, I sacrifice Pluto, Gilford the Swift, and my face down monster in order to summon the Winged Divine Dragon of Ra(4600/1200)!"

A giant golden sphere appeared above him, and Dalin began chanting. As soon as he had finished, Ra unlocked itself and was revealed in its dragon form, gold and deadly with an impressive attack power. "Now I activate Oracle of Rebirth, discarding my entire hand to allow me to revive one level six or higher monster from the cemetery and pick up five cards from the grave or five from my deck as a new hand!"

He ejected five cards from his cemetery, and suddenly a massive blue armored form appeared next to Ra, being of equal size. "I use the effect of Oracle of Rebirth to unleash the strong of Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!"

The three members the Trinity didn't look bothered in the slightest, as neither monster had the power to defeat them. "Your monsters are far to weak to defeat the Trinity."

"We shall see. Now, I activate Monster Reborn and revive Saint Dragon Osiris(4000/4000)!" A massive red dragon with a serpentine body appeared next to the other two gods, and roared at the trinity. They shrank back slightly in fear of the three gods.

"I activate Dance of the Phoenix at a cost of one thousand life points! Ra, enter your Phoenix form and burn away Trinity!" Ra suddenly changed shape and became a massive fiery phoenix, which dropped down upon the woman. She shrieked in agony as her flesh was boiled away, and in under a minute she was completely gone. (DLP: 8200)

"Impossible!" Dalin raised his right arm and pointed at them, a look of sheer confidence upon his face.

"I've disproved that far too many times to care. Obelisk and Osiris will now attack San'i and Asei!" One massive fist descended upon Asei and blasted her out of the building, while a stream of purple energy sent San'i following her. Osiris and Ra shrieked their success. (ALP: 0, SLP: 0)

He folded his hand upon and bowed slightly to the gods. Then Osiris and Obelisk faded away, as gods could not be revived from the cemetery for more than one turn. Now only Ra remained, but that would be enough.

Ichiji felt her hands shaking, knowing fear for the first time in her existence. But she was far from finished. "Pot of Greed!"

She slipped two cards off her deck, and then immediately played one of them. "Dance of the Dead allows me to send every monster from my deck to my cemetery at a cost of half of my life points! So now I send a total of 35 monsters to the graveyard!" (ILP: 600)

She dumped almost her entire deck into the cemetery, leaving her with a fairly sparse deck remaining. All she had left was a single card in her hand. "Now, I summon Chaos Necromancer(10500/0)!"

"This creature's strength is greater even than your god's so now I will finish you off! Chaos Necromancer, eliminate Ra!" The necromancer launched a ball of black energy straight at Ra, intent on finishing it off once and for all. But when she looked again, she saw that Dalin didn't appear worried in the slightest.

"I activate one of Ra's special abilities. I pay sixty-five hundred life points to raise Winged Divine Dragon of Ra's attack by that same amount. Now, Ra(11100/1200), God Breath Cannon!" The god opened its mouth wide, and launched a golden beam of energy. The beam of energy smashed straight through the black beam, and swept straight over Chaos Necromancer as if it were nothing. (ILP: 0)

"No! Impossible!" The bema of energy struck Ichiji and exploded, blasting her straight out of the building to join her siblings. Dalin sighed as the last of the three faded from sight, and shut down his duel disk. Kirani did the same and the two walked out of the building, finding no trace of the Trinity anywhere.

They picked up Hikari, and went on their way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eikyuu glanced down at the three empty shells that had once been women. Had he had a mouth he would have been frowning. "So the Trinity were defeated? Quite impressive. Although, in the end it doesn't matter. Because I have three more Hearts of Man in my possession."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A figure stood on a roof top, watching the three duelists walk down a back alley. Their strength had defeated opponents she thought could not be defeated. "These could be the ones, but if they are to stop Eikyuu then they need greater strength. They must face the Trials."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And that's it for the Trinity.

_Review Response_

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Kirani: Crash of Thunder, Storm Barrier, Lightning Rod, Gilford of Thunder, Gilford the Swift, Heart of Love

Dalin: Song of Angels, Energy Absorption, Holy Aura, Rise to Heaven, Pluto-Angel of Weakening, Earth-Angel of Destruction, Voice of Heavens, Speak No Evil, Light Barrier, Soul of Light, Oracle of Rebirth(TM)

Ichiji: Beast of the Depths, Grave Zombie, Monster Summoning, Bringer of Beasts, Effect Multiplication, Saga-Seer of the Past(TM), Dance of the Dead

San'i: False Prophetic Vision, False Prophet-Metrion, Kismet-Seer of Fate(TM), Dawn of Time(TM), Trinity-Seer of Destiny(TM), Effect Specialty Activation

Asei: Circa-Seer of Present(TM), Magic the Gathering


	33. Threat of Judgement

Author's Notes: Time to find out a bit more about the Trials.

_**Chapter Thirty-Two: Threat of Judgement**_

Kirani peered around the corner, watching as a column of soldiers marched right by them. Meanwhile Dalin was in the store behind her, finding something to wear. After all, they couldn't exactly wander around with him shirtless and bloody, or he'd attract attention to them.

After a minute the soldiers had all passed by, leaving the path clear. Shortly after Dalin exited the store wearing a large black duster. He had also cleaned his face so that no blood was visible. There was however some slight bruising left over from the blows he had taken in his fight against the Trinity.

"We can run straight to the United Nations building, but it's bound to be extremely well guarded. And even then, what are we supposed to do? How exactly do you fight a god?" Hikari frowned at Kirani's question, but Dalin remained just as impassive as ever. But Kirani was sure that even he was worried about how they would accomplish their task.

Dalin frowned for a moment, and then he set his shoulders. "Whoever you are, I think it's time you stopped watching us from afar and came down here."

A shape dropped down from above them and into the alley. The figure rose from a crouch, revealing itself as a girl around Kirani's age. She was taller than Kirani, and about Hikari's height, however there was something distinct about her. Most likely it was just her platinum blonde hair that she kept tied back. It was a rare color to see in Japan, but then again they were in America now.

"I admit to being impressed by your senses. I shouldn't have been surprised though, considering you were capable of defeating the Trinity. Under normal circumstances I doubt I would ever have followed you, but these are desperate times." She flicked her platinum hair away from her face, revealing royal blue eyes, much the same shade as Seto Kaiba's. They also had a stern manner that seemed to see through outward facades. It reminded Kirani of another person's gaze, but she couldn't put her finger on whose.

Kirani took the moment of pause to inspect this new girl. She wore a simple short-sleeved blue shirt and tan pants, but despite her casual dress she wore a tiara in her hair with a sapphire in the center. This girl also carried herself with a confident and controlled air that once again reminded Kirani of someone.

"Who exactly are you, and what is it that you want?" Kirani might have scolded Dalin for being so rude, but at the moment she was in no mood to play the guessing game with yet another mystery person.

The girl bowed slightly, but only to Dalin. It seemed that all of the girl's focus was on the giant of a duelist. "I am Azure Levis, and I am here because I believe that you have the potential to abate the threat to free will that is this Eikyuu character. No person on the planet can defeat him, at least not at the moment."

Dalin frowned, but Azure raised one hand to forestall any comment. "Allow me to explain. Eikyuu has the power to bend other's wills to his whims. That is how he has turned the people of Earth to his whim. There are however certain people who appear to be immune, whom he calls 'The Fallen'. But even these people cannot remain immune to his touch."

"Then why not just pop over to each of these people, like us, and touch them to get them under his sway?" Each of them turned to look at Hikari, who seemed truly puzzled by this mystery. Kirani couldn't think of a reason off the top of her head, so she had to hope this 'Azure' girl had answers.

"From what I can tell it's merely because he doesn't consider it worthy of his time. That makes us lucky, but that doesn't change the situation. You cannot confront Eikyuu, or you will become his pawns." Azure saw the looks on Hikari and Kirani's faces, a look of despair. This announcement seemed to confirm what they had been dreading. There was no hope.

"I never claimed that there was no method to withstand this. However, the only way you can gain this strength is to undergo what is often referred to as 'The Trials'. In truth it is to walk down a place called the 'Path of the Dead'. There you must each face a trial of spirit, body, and mind. The trial is different for each person." Dalin frowned, considering the implications of the name. It did not bode well.

"There's something you have yet to tell us." Now it was Azure's turn to frown, caught off guard by Dalin's intuitive nature. Hikari seemed rather surprised as well, so the only one who wasn't surprised was Kirani. By now she was also used to him being one step ahead of everyone else.

"You certainly are quick to the punch. Yes, there is one challenge that must be faced, one test that must be passed, before any of you can undergo the Trials. This tiara which rests upon my head is called the Tempus Astrum, and possesses all the power of my family throughout all of its generations. It will choose someone from amongst you, and that person must defeat me first." Dalin nodded, and then they waited as she took the tiara off.

She held it between her palms, and the sapphire began to shimmer. A blue light shot out of it, and spun around, darting about as if searching wildly for something. Suddenly the light inverted, and took a new shape.

When it was settled into position, it resembled a compass. There was a flat blue circle, and hovering over it was a blue dial that was shifting. At the moment it seemed to be pointing...away from them. "This is unusual. It seems to be saying the one that I am to face isn't amongst you."

Kirani leaned in, looking at the compass carefully. She waved her hand through it, but nothing happened. "Maybe it's broken? You said it was old after all."

Azure snatched the tiara away and shot Kirani a miffed glare. "The Tempus Astrum is never wrong! I have the utmost confidence that if we simply follow the direction it is pointing we will find our opponent."

She held her head up high, and began to walk in the direction the dial was pointing. Dalin followed after her, not bothered by this sudden turn of events. In the meantime Hikari and Kirani exchanged looks, knowing intuitively that this wouldn't go well. "Say Hikari, did you notice anything about her that seemed somewhat familiar?"

The older girl nodded, and she narrowed her eyes in thought. When she did that, the answer suddenly came to Kirani in a flash. "Amazing...she's a female Dalin!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The soldiers cried out in a panic as what seemed a shadow of death passed through them. It darted between soldiers in the blink of an eye, bringing each of them down just as swiftly. Nobody was able to track the death shadow with their gun, let alone squeeze off a shot.

When the last of the soldiers fell, the creature that had seemed to them to be a specter of death itself stopped and paused to look at its handiwork. "So this is what Eikyuu's soldiers are truly capable of? It looks like that now that the Knights are gone, Eikyuu is the only real threat remaining."

He sighed, and then time and space shifted around him. He stepped forwards, and the world returned to normal. Now he was standing on top of a black surface, and over a group of bodies. "I'm just that one step closer. All I need is a little more time and then I can find a way to undo what has been done. The easiest will be with you two."

Kneeling down he inspected the two he was talking about, checking the progress made by both. It wasn't much yet, but not that much time had elapsed. "I just need time, but that's the one thing I'm not sure if I have."

He frowned and prodded one's face. "Damn you, even when you're totally a goner you can't stop smirking. Get that sick looking smug ass grin off your face or I won't even try to bring you back. I don't even know why I'm helping you come back Taichi, you're just a bother."

He glanced over at the other, his frown still holding. "You can be a pain as well Nick, but at least you aren't quite as psycho as Taichi is. I still don't get why I feel obligated to you two. It wasn't even me who was with you two."

Grimacing he lay back and stared up at the ceiling, contemplating his current situation. "Takuya, what have you gotten yourself into? Trying to bring a couple of crazies back to life and the same for a bunch of others. Ryu, Autumn, Isis, Rishid, you guys owe me big time. But in reality, I guess I owe you all more. Especially you Kai."

He frowned, realizing that he was talking to a bunch of lifeless bodies. Here he was calling Taichi and Nick crazies, and in reality he had probably reached the lowest point in his life around with them. "I gave up everything I was for power, got consumed by an evil undead thing, and then under that control did unspeakable evil. I'm just such a poster boy for the sane these days aren't I?"

To top it all of, he was talking to himself. Really, he didn't see any of this as atoning for his crimes, but it was the only thing he could think of to do. While he was waiting there was just one thing he could think of to do. "Might as well see if I can finish up."

He popped open a massive trunk that was sitting next to him, and began rooting through the piles upon piles of Duel Monsters packs. There were thousands there, and he knew that the right sets were amongst them. "I swear that I will make a deck to fight with my real power, not with someone else's power. I refuse to do that again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure that thing isn't broken? You keep changing directions." Azure scowled at Kirani again, aware that the Tempus seemed to be behaving erratically. Every time they thought they were closing in, the dial changed the direction it was pointing.

"Perhaps this person is very far away, and that is why the Tempus is acting up." Azure shook her head, knowing that Dalin's explanation wasn't true. She appreciated it, but she knew when the Tempus felt something. Whatever it was looking for was within the city, they just hadn't found it yet.

They turned another corner, and stopped immediately. The dial was now pointing at a large building in front of them that they all recognized, even Hikari. This was none other than Madison Square Gardens, one of the most famous buildings for sports and other events, and one of New York's famed buildings. "In there? Well, I suppose we still follow."

The walk was a long one, especially since the building was large. Eventually the dial led them into the middle of the court, and it seemed to be spinning in circles. "It's spinning like this, but that would imply that the person is here. I mean right here, where I'm standing. But that makes no sense."

"I told you it was busted. Your Tempus can't find a taxi let alone the person who is destined to be your opponent for the right for us to take these 'Trials'." Sparks shot between the two girl's eyes, only to be deflected as Dalin stepped in between them.

"Did it occur to either of you that whoever the dial is pointing to, is not in this very spot, but rather above us?" He pointed straight up, and all of them followed his gaze. What they found was the giant score board. The score board that was three dimensional, and would have a top.

Azure and Kirani both made a wordless 'oh' and began to contemplate how to find out if somebody was actually up there. At least until Hikari proved herself to be equally as practical and direct as her younger brother. "HEY! IS ANYBODY UP ON TOP OF THE SCOREBOARD? IF SO, COME DOWN!"

There was the sound of rustling, and what they thought was a voice. Then Dalin jumped to the side all of a sudden, and they discovered why. Someone had just stepped directly out of his shadow. "Huh? You guys again?"

"Kensai?" Kirani's shock was immediately repeated, particularly when the dial above the Tempus Astrum pointed directly at him. Azure narrowed her eyes, and then proceeded to march around him. The dial pointed at him the whole way.

"You, whoever you are, do you wish for the defeat of Eikyuu and the restoration of this world as we know it?" He blinked at this strange question, but after a moment's thought he nodded.

"Very well then, in order to allow this to happen you and these three must undertake a group of Trials of mind, body, and spirit. Before that can happen I must be defeated by one of you, and the Tempus Astrum has chosen you as my opponent. Do you accept?" He just stared at her blankly.

"Is she serious?" Dalin simply nodded, and it was again confirmed by Kirani and Hikari. So he was left with a choice. To take the duel, or not to take it. As far as he was concerned, this would make the perfect form of atonement.

"If that's the case, then I shall accept your challenge, and I will defeat you using all of my strength. From this moment on, I am Kensai no more. I am done hiding behind names, I am Takuya Shinomori, I am me. And I will win!" He reached his hand into the shadow behind Kirani, and from it he extracted the same black Duel Pod that he had used as D'harim. Then he placed it on his arm, and loaded a deck into the auto-shuffling deck slot. (TLP: 4000)

"Very well, but understand that I won't hold back. I, Azure Levis, have never been defeated by any person wishing to undertake the Trials. This victory will be hard earned, if you can even manage it. So let us begin, you make take the first move." She drew five cards and held them out in front of her, face down so that she couldn't see them. Takuya drew his own hand of five, and the duel was on. (ALP: 4000)

"Azure, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into. My true strength is greater than you could imagine, so allow me to show you. First, I draw!" He snapped a card off his deck and added it to his hand. Azure held back a gasp, shocked at the raw determination and power she was feeling. This man was no ordinary duelist!

He scanned his hand and after several moments decided on his course of action. "There was a time when I would have underestimated a female duelist such as yourself, but no longer. I will defeat you in order to gain atonement for crimes caused by my rash actions. I cannot fail, so my first weapon shall be Queen's Knight(1500/1600)!"

His first monster was a blonde woman in armor, with shield and sword in hand. She was one of three, a set that all of them were aware of. "The Tri-Knights? Those three will be of no help to you. You will be judged in this duel, believe me on that."

'_He's no longer using the Death Knights. With those I'm certain he could have won, but I understand why he isn't using them. This is like his old deck though, and that was never very powerful. I hope he has more hidden in that deck of his, or I doubt he'll last long.' _Kirani was worried, not just about his chances with this duel, but about their chances of getting to undergo the Trials. If he lost, they wouldn't be able to take them.

"Don't judge this monster or me by what you think you know. I'm beyond that already, I've surpassed my former limitations, and this is my power! One card face down, and end turn!" Azure grimaced, realizing that he was dead serious. There truly was some power there that she wasn't seeing yet.

The moment Azure drew she got a surprise. Takuya's face down card was already flipping up, and it revealed a bursting pattern of red hearts, with a bearded warrior in the background. "You think the Tri-Knights are nothing? Well, allow me to introduce you to the King. Go, King of Hearts!"

The knight within the card strode out and stood beside Queen's Knight. She gave him a slight bow, and he dipped his head in return. "This is my King's Knight(1600/1400), who is special summoned by the effect of my trap. Now since he and Queen's Knight are together I can special summon another monster from my deck."

"Yes, your two monsters allow you to summon Jack's Knight(1900/1000) to the field. There are few duelists who don't know about the Tri-Knights anymore. They won't be winning any duels." Takuya smiled enigmatically and grabbed a card that his deck spat out. Then he slammed the card down onto his Duel Pod, and a tall blonde figure in blue armor appeared next to the other two. He greeted them with a deep bow.

"You're thinking far too two dimensionally. Have you already forgotten my trap card? The second effect of King of Hearts allows any monster named 'King's Knight' on my field to have a battle phase this turn. And you haven't summoned yet!" Azure's eyes widened in shock as King's Knight raised his sword and jumped straight at her.

"King's Knight, attack her with Blade of the Hearts!" The knight slashed her across the chest, driving her backwards a few feet. Kirani and Hikari both gasped in shock to see the first blow struck so soon, and to see the amount of damage dealt by that first blow. Dalin merely watched carefully. (ALP: 2400)

"I see, so you use magic and trap cards to assist your warriors. Well, such a cheap trick won't work against me more than once. Remember, it's still my move and I have yet to take any action." She took two cards from her hand, and placed them each on the field. They all saw the holographic representations appear, both face down.

"One monster in defense mode, and a single magic or trap card will be my defense. That's all I need, so it's your turn again." Takuya nodded and drew a card. Then without looking at it he pointed at her, a stern look on his face.

"Such an average move won't cut it in this duel! Watch and learn, as I activate the magic card Royal Straight! This only works by sacrificing a Jack's Knight, Queen's Knight, and King's Knight from the field!" The three named monsters faded away, and his magic card appeared in their place. It showed a hand of cards, all those involved in a Royal Straight, just as said.

"The effect of this card allows me to special summon Royal Flush(2400/1350) to the field in attack mode!" A tall warrior in green armored was his newest creature, and it held its sword up high. Its face was covered by a white mask, and it looked ready to take action as soon as it heard the word.

"Now this duel is over! When Royal Flush is summoned I can activate its effect by sending a level one, a level two, a level three, a level four, and a level five monster from my deck to the grave!" Five different cards popped out of his deck, and he held them up, allowing Azure to confirm that each of them was the stated level. Then he sent them to the graveyard.

"Royal Flush, use your power. Royal Straight Slasher to destroy her entire field!" Royal Flush raised its left hand, and then snapped its fingers. Azure's field exploded completely, and when the smoke faded there was nothing remaining between Royal Flush and her life points.

"I'll finish this off exactly, without dealing one ounce of damage that isn't needed. Royal Flush, attack her directly!" To Takuya's surprise his Royal Flush bowed its head, and refused to move. Azure smirked and popped a card out of her graveyard, which she proceeded to show to Takuya.

"You may have tried to destroy my field, but I chained to that destruction. My Light Screen works when an angel is destroyed, and for that turn no attacks can be made upon me. So though you cleared my field, you didn't manage to finish me." Because the effect of Light Screen his turn was immediately ended, so he couldn't set any cards.

"That's not all Takuya, you destroyed my face down monster and activated its effect. I told you that you would be judged, and this is the first one. Yueth-Judge of Being(0/0) is now shuffled face up into your deck. Until you draw it I get to draw one extra card per turn, and when it is drawn it goes back into my deck face down, and you draw until you hold six." She tossed him the monster card, which he inserted into his deck face-up. The Duel Pod shuffled it in.

She snapped two cards off her deck, and then immediately chose one and threw it out onto the field. "This will the be the judgement of your sneak attack, and my monsters will inflict vengeance upon you. Yusa-Judge of Will(600/500) appears!"

A stern looking woman with wings folded on her back appeared and her eyes flashed darkly. "When Yusa-Judge of Will is summoned I may take control of one monster on your field. At the end of the turn both die. However, until then I have a clear field and your Royal Flush at my command!"

Royal Flush marched over to her, and offered her a brief bow. She nodded her head in return, and then pointed straight at Takuya. "These two monsters shall unleash their awesome strength upon you! Attack him directly!" Both monsters attack, one with a sword and then other with a beam of light. Takuya took them in the chest and barely budged. (TLP: 1000)

Dalin watched the duel impassively, impressed by both of their plays so far. Each was proving their strength as a duelist already. As he watched, Azure continued her turn. "I set two cards face down, and then end my turn, destroying both monsters."

Takuya drew, and then just like Azure he slapped it down onto the field. "Maybe I should have mentioned before that this deck doesn't revolve around the Tri-Knights, because there aren't just three anymore. Go, Knight to the Third Power(1700/1200)!" A heavyset knight in chain mail with a large battle axe was his newest creature.

"Whenever my monster engages in battle, regardless of the result my opponent takes three hundred points of damage. So feel free to negate this. Direct attack!" As soon as the monster got going, a face down card flipped up, and the axe smashed apart a mirror that appeared in front of Knight to the Third Power.

"My Heaven Mirror negates your attack and increases my life points by one thousand. Unfortunately that number is decreased to seven hundred by your monster's effect." Her life points rose, and then dipped slightly. (ALP: 3100)

He slid one card onto his Duel Pod, and then motioned for her to take her turn. She did so, drawing two cards to bring her back up to five. "I summon Yuez-Judge of Light(1900/1200) who when normal summoned lets me special summon a light monster from my hand with fifteen hundred or less attack. So I also summon Yusaki-Judge of Betrayal(1500/1800)!"

Two female angels again appeared, both of them looking stern. However, the moment Yusaki was summoned she flew across the field and vanished with the body of Knight to the Third Power. The heavyset knight marched to Azure's field, just like Royal Flush had. "I can equip Yusaki to a monster to gain control of them, so thank you for that. My new monster attacks!"

"Trigger trap card, Hearts! This trap will destroy your monster and let me summon a special monster from my deck that has either an equal or lower level! So here's Deuce's Knight(1200/1200)!" Knight to the Third Power shattered, and immediately a new creature began to form on Takuya's field. This new monster was a lithe, young looking woman in emerald green armor. She held a short sword in one hand and a buckler in the other. Her hair wasn't visible underneath her helmet. (TLP: 700)

"Very well, Yuez will destroy Deuce's Knight!" A thin beam of energy shot out of Yuez's hand and blasted straight through the female knight's armor. She cried out, and then was nothing but dust in the wind. Luckily for Takuya she had been in defense mode.

"When Deuce's Knight is destroyed in battle I may draw two cards and add one Knight to the Third Power from my deck to my hand." He drew twice, and then grabbed a card that popped out of his deck. Just like that his hand size had increased to six cards.

Since her turn was finished he drew, and then smiled at what he saw. "My hand now contains seven cards, making this the perfect entrance for my next monster. Come on out, Seven(1650/1450)!" A dashingly handsome man in ruffled silk red and blue clothing smiled haughtily at Azure. He kept one hand on the ivory hilt of the sword in its scabbard at his side, and the other was fiddling with a playing card.

"When Seven is summoned, I can immediately add one 7 to my hand. That brings my hand size back up to seven cards. Once again it's perfect." Seven handed him the card, and he smiled and accepted it. Then he grabbed two cards from his hand and slid them into his Duel Pod.

"I activate not one, but two 7s! Then I set two cards face down to complete my turn!" Two red number sevens appeared above his head, each right next to the other. Then two brown backed cards appeared face down by Seven and in front of Takuya.

Azure hid her smile, impressed somewhat by his play. She didn't know what these new cards did, or even what his strategy was quite yet. However, he did seem to be countering whatever he played. She looked at her new cards, and immediately took action. "I summon Yurley-Judge of Divinity(1300/1600)!"

Her new monster was like all the others, only with a very holy glow to her. "I activate the magic card White Cross, which can only be played when I have a monster with 'judge' in it's name on the field. I can immediately destroy one monster on your field regardless of its position. So say farewell to Seven!" A giant white cross strapped to the monster and began to lift him up into the air.

"Not so fast! I trigger my counter trap, Clubs! This negates an effect that targets one of my special monsters and moves that effect to another legal target. So say goodbye to Yuez!" The White Cross suddenly vanished and then appeared on Yuez. The cross flew up into the air and then vanished from sight completely, not coming back.

"Impressive maneuver, but it won't be enough. Yurley, attack his Seven!" Takuya frowned as her monster flew across the field, only to be sliced in half by his aristocratic monster. But his surprise quickly increased when the wound on Yurley disappeared, and her attack power began to rise. (ALP: 2750)

"Whenever she is destroyed in battle while in attack mode Yurley(1700/1600) returns to the field with four hundred more attack points. So now she's strong enough. Yurley, attack his Seven and destroy it!" He grimaced and motioned to his remaining set card. It immediately flipped up, revealing a background of diamonds and a female knight behind them.

"Queen of Diamonds lets me special summon Queen's Knight(1500/1600) back to the field even if she's in the cemetery. Then it negates your attack and ends the battle phase!" The queen once again was on the field, and Yurley backed away so as not to offend her. Azure frowned at seeing her attack fail and finished her turn.

He drew, and then smiled as Seven handed him another playing card, which formed in his hand as a Duel Monster card. Azure once again frowned, and then decided to ask something that had been bothering her. "You keep saying 'special' monsters. What sort of monsters are these that you are referring to?"

"You haven't figured it out yet? My monsters...they're Poker monsters! Each suit represented, each card from deuce to ace! Now, it's time for me to continue and show you what happens when I get all 7s on the field together. I activate the final 7!" A third one appeared above him, and all three began to light up, flashing. A giant sign popped out, declaring him a winner.

"When all three are on the field together I can destroy them to draw one card for each and gain seven hundred life points for each. That means all told I gain twenty-one hundred life points and three cards!" He drew three new cards, and then watched with a smirk as coins flowed out from above him into a bucket, representing his increasing life points. (TLP: 2800)

Azure grimaced, seeing all of her hard work undone. Not only that, but now he had a slight lead in life points. Of course fifty wasn't very much, but it was something. "Say goodbye to your precious cards Azure, because I activate Diamonds! This magic card has two effects, and I choose the first to destroy two cards on your field! Say goodbye to your set and Yurley!"

"Not so fast! I activate that face down card, Judgement from Above! By discard a monster with 'judge' in its name from my hand I can negate any effect. So my Yurley is safe." The building energy in his magic card faded away as Azure discarded a card. However he didn't seem that bothered by this.

"Oh well, that just means I can't finish it this turn. I summon Knight to the Third Power(1700/1200) and then I activate Monster Reborn to revive King's Knight(1600/1400)! According to the effect of King and Queen I summon out Jack's Knight(1900/1000)!" Just like that he had a total of five monsters on the field as compared to Azure's one. Then again, Yurley wouldn't stay dead and it would only get stronger.

'_He only has the power to kill Yurley once in this turn, and at most he can deal three hundred damage to me. So I'm hardly worried. Few duelists stand a chance once Yurley is summoned to the field. I've only ever dueled one person who managed to finish off Yurley.'_ With that in mind she was utterly confident that her monster would remain and that there was nothing that Takuya could do.

"You're so confident that your monster is invincible. Well you aren't, you have a limit of life points. So my next monster will be the one that shows you that you have limits. Go, Polymerization!" To everyone's surprise Jack's Knight, Queen's Knight, and King's Knight all jumped into the vortex of the fusion card. What emerged was a massive monster with two swords and combined armor from all three.

"When I said that Poker monsters covered deuce to ace, I forgot to mention that the other card was covered. Meet Arcana Knight Joker(3800/3000)! The strongest monster of my deck, who's about to show you my real strength!" With that said Knight to the Third Power rushed forward and slammed his axe down on Yurley, who retaliated by blowing him apart with an energy blast. (ALP: 2450)

"Since you defeated her while in attack mode Yurley returns to the field with a total of twenty-one hundred attack power." Although her monster remained, she had absolutely no way to protect it. What made it worse was the enormous power of Takuya's newest Poker monster.

"Face his wrath! Arcana Knight Joker, attack with Twin Joker Slash!" Both blades slashed straight through Yurley, blowing her into pieces. She reformed, appearing with twenty-five hundred attack power. However, despite the fact that she had survived the damage had been done. (ALP: 750)

Dalin continued to watch impassively, still impressed by their actions. _'In a single turn he has turned this duel in his favor, utterly reversing their situations. Not only does he now have dominance of the field, but their life points are completely reversed. He true has grown both as a person and a duelist.'_

"I set one card face down, and then I switch Seven into defense mode. Your turn Azure." He folded his arms, confident that the power of his Arcana Knight Joker could not be so easily defeated. It would take far too many attacks by Yurley for that creature to gain the attack power needed to defeat his Joker.

The moment that Azure saw her two new cards, she looked extremely confident. "I'm going to defeat your Joker and you. Just watch, as I draw the cards I need by playing Cherubim Descent. By discarding one card from my hand I can special summon three Cherubim Tokens(500/500). These monsters cannot be used for summoning. But my Return of Tithes magic card lets me draw one card for each angel on my field!" She drew four cards to replenish her hand, bringing it up to seven cards.

"Now I activate Sweeping Life Restoration. For every light type monster I sacrifice I can gain seven hundred life points. So I sacrifice all four of my monsters in order to gain twenty-eight hundred life points!" The four monsters shattered, and energy poured into her duel disk, restoring her lost life points. (ALP: 3550)

Takuya smiled, impressed by her play. However, his monster was still far too strong to be so easily defeated by any monster she could summon. "I play Holy Birth, which at a cost of one thousand life points lets me special summon two level four or lower monsters from my deck to the field!" (ALP: 2550)

An angelic woman holding balancing scales and another angelic woman with hands clasped together in prayer appeared in front of Azure. "Meet Angel of Balance(500/1300) and Yuten-Judge of Return(800/600)! When Yuten is summoned I may revive one enemy monster with a five hundred point bonus. So Royal Flush(2900/1350) is mine now!"

Takuya's old monster was now hers, and stronger as well. But still he wasn't worried because of his Joker's superior strength. There were only five monsters in the entire game of Duel Monsters that surpassed his Joker in strength, and one of those was a god card. Three of the others were incredibly difficult to summon fusions. _'There's no chance that she'll defeat Arcana Knight Joker. It will win me this duel, I can see it.'_

"Next I sacrifice Yuten and Angel of Balance for Yumi-Judge of Life(2700/2500)! Then according to her effect I special summon a Guardian Angel token(0/1500) in defense mode." Azure's new monster seemed to radiate holy energy, and it was accompanied by a male angel holding a large shield up in front of him.

"Here is how I will defeat Arcana Knight Joker. With my equip card, Hammer of the Judge! It equips only to a judge, and lets me sacrifice one monster on my field that is not a judge to increase its attack power by that monster's. So I sacrifice Royal Flush to set Yumi's attack at fifty-six hundred for the turn!" Yumi hefted a massive hammer, energy flowing into it.

"Yumi, destroy Arcana Knight Joker!" The hammer came down and the Joker was no more, blown away by Yumi's superior attack strength. Takuya frowned, surprised that she had no only managed to defeat his Joker, but had done so with an incredibly powerful attacker. (TLP: 1000)

Azure placed two cards face down, and that was the end of her turn. As soon as she was done her Yumi lost all of its attack points, returning to its respectable twenty-seven hundred. When he drew, so did she because Angel of Balance's effect allowed her to draw one card whenever he did so long as it was in the grave. "Since Seven is still in play I add a 7 to my hand, this time from the grave. I activate it, but then I think I'll test fate by playing Ace-Deuce!"

He marched forwards as the entire field vanished and took his deck out, taking out a number of cards. He motioned for her to do the same. "Take out all the monsters from your deck, and from the effect of my magic card we'll shuffle them together. Then we bring out two monsters."

They shuffled the decks together, and then Takuya held up the two top cards, which were each revealed as one of her judges. "Okay, your Yeweth-Judge of Mercy is a level two and your Yusui-Judge of Virtue is a level six. Now we take the top card, and each of us must bet whether that monster has a higher level than those two, a lower level, or is in between. Whoever guesses right gains one thousand and the loser has one thousand points deducted from their score."

"There are far more middle level monsters in both of our decks than high level monsters. So I say that the next monster will be in between." Takuya nodded, taking Azure's bet. Then he pointed upwards, indicating the he thought the next monster would be of a higher level. He extended the deck, letting her draw the card. She held it up, and frowned before flipping it around.

"Yue-Judge of Soul is a level seven. It appears that fate was on your side in this turn." He nodded, and suddenly the field returned to normal. Each of them took back their monsters and reshuffled them into their decks. Then Takuya returned to his side of the field. (TLP: 2000, ALP: 1550)

"I set two cards face down, and then I summon Crazy Eights(2100/900) who when summoned forces us to discard our hands and draw five cards. Neither of us can draw until we get rid of our present hands, and whoever empties their hand first gains two thousand life points which are deducted from the opponent's score. As it stands, that would finish either of us." His new monster was an obscenely fat man, who bulged out of his rusted monster and looked like he could barely hold his axe.

She frowned, realizing that since it was his turn he had a good chance of getting close to that. At the same time he was limited since he had taken up four of his zones with magic and trap cards. That would make it harder to empty his hand. "You look like you think you can win. Well, I've got two plans to win. First I reveal my face down Joker Trick, a magic card that brings Arcana Knight Joker(3800/3000) back into play!"

His massive monster returned, and slashed through the air with its sword. "Now, the face down card you walked past last turn. That card will potentially be your demise. I trigger it, Dead Man's Hand! This card requires I shuffle my entire hand into my deck, and then lets one monster on my field have two battle phases this turn. Not that it matters." He shuffled his hand into his deck, leaving it empty. (TLP: 4000)

"I won't lose from life point damage! I activate Life Energy Shield which prevents me from losing because of effect damage during this turn. I remain safe." He nodded, and then pointed right at her monster. His Joker raises its two blades, and prepared to attack.

"Arcana Knight Joker attacks for the win!" Azure snapped her fingers, and her remaining card flipped up. Her monster raised its arms and energy burst from them, blasting over Seven and Arcana Knight Joker. When the energy faded his monsters were completely gone.

"The trap card Final Judgement only works when I have a level seven or higher Judge on the field. It destroys all of your monsters in this situation, leaving you with no hand and only one face down card. I will have victory, since your turn is over I draw twice!" Her hand jumped up to seven cards, and another Guardian Angel token appeared next to the original.

"I begin by summon Yuna-Judge of Vision(1000/700). So long as she is on the field you must specify what type of card you are setting in your magic and trap zone. Not that it matters, since this duel will be ending shortly. I activate the field magic card, Citadel of Celestial Glory." A massive fortress of glowing lights now filled up the space behind her, and Kirani frowned at the sight of it. This confirmed it for her. This girl was a female Dalin.

"My Citadel has various effects, but first and foremost is that all angels with 'judge' in their name gain two hundred attack points. That sets Yumi at twenty-nine hundred and Yuna at twelve hundred." Everyone did the math, and saw that together her monsters had one hundred more attack points than he had life points. All he had remaining was a single face down card, and that wouldn't cut it.

She motioned to her two monsters, and they attacked him directly. "Hold on, I'm activating Five Card Stud! This forces us to discard our hands and draw five cards. No play can draw at all until they have emptied their hands completely of these new cards."

"Not good enough! You'll still lose from damage!" The blasts slammed into Takuya, but he braced himself and remained standing. Smoke wafted off his chest, but he didn't seem all that phased. It was as if the attacks lacked any real stopping power. (TLP: 2800)

"I discarded a magic card called Cheating Uno to substitute for the damage inflicted by your Yumi. That saved me from defeat, and since Five Card Stud was played two of your effects are worthless." Azure held back and grimace, and then set a single card face down. Next she held up her magic card, Graceful Charity. Its effect was negated, but it got it out of her hand.

"I can't draw, but now it's my turn. And this will be the end of the duel, because I play Pick Up! This lets me select one Poker monster from my grave and summon it to the field. So here's Jack's Knight(1900/1000)!" Azure had no idea what he was up to, because she had been absolutely certain that he would bring back Arcana Knight Joker. After all, that was what he had done previously and it was his strongest monster.

"Now I summon Knight of Ten(1800/1600) who when in play with Jack's Knight lets me special summon Ace's Knight(2400/1500) to the field!" His two monsters were certainly impressive. Knight of Ten was a tall man in white armor with ten stripes across it. Ace's Knight was a knight in seamless white armor that had no joints which had a spade on the front of the chest. In his single hand he held a huge claymore.

"Next I empty my hand by playing a single card from it! Go, Card of Sanctity! I draw six, and since you haven't emptied your hand you get nothing!" He snapped six cards off his deck, and then chucked one to Azure. She recognized it as her Yueth-Judge of Being(0/0) which had been shuffled into his deck in the duel's beginning. She frowned and returned it to her deck as he drew one new card according to its effect.

'_He's got something in his mind, but I'm fully prepared for him. Let's see what he has planned.'_ She was ready at a moment's notice to activate her face down card and protect herself.

"At a cost of one card from my hand I play Cutting the Deck. This shuffles me deck and lets me revive one Poker monster from the grave. So I return Arcana Knight Joker into play!" His supreme monster once again hit the field, and Azure could do nothing but frown at the sight of it. She was still safe though.

"Since your Guardian Angels must die first, Jack's Knight and Knight of Ten will gladly take care of them!" The two monsters rushed into the fray, and blew apart her two defending angels. This left her with just two monsters, her Yumi and her Yuna. Hopefully they would do well enough.

"Ace's Knight will take care of Yuna I think." The white knight cleaved the female angel in half with his claymore, doing her in with immense ease. Now all that remained was Yumi, Azure's face down card, and Arcana Knight Joker. (ALP: 350)

"Now, Arcana Knight Joker, it's time to end it. Twin Joker Slash!" The joker began to attack, but Azure's face down card flipped up, and it was instantly blown away by a massive ball of energy. The same ball slammed into Takuya, and three cards popped off the top of his deck. He caught them before they could float to the ground.

"Your mightiest monster fell victim to my trap card Wrath of Heaven, which destroys the attacker and forces you to discard the top three cards of your deck. All it costs is a discard of one card from my hand. Also, since you destroyed three angels my Citadel of Celestial Glory produces three Cherubim Tokens(500/500) in their place." Takuya frowned and slid the three cards into his grave as three little baby angels formed on her field.

"Azure, this has been a great duel. It has really helped me get back into dueling as myself, and realize just how strong I really am as a duelist. I don't need obscenely powerful monsters to win my duels for me, because I have skill and faith in that skill! So now, this duel will come to its conclusion!" He held up one card from his hand, showing it to be a magic card that depicted Arcana Knight Joker charging forward and slashing with his swords.

"Activate magic card, Joker Barrage! This instantly brings back Arcana Knight Joker to the field and has him conduct a battle phase! So Arcana Knight Joker, this really is the end. JOKER BARRAGE!" His ultimate monster reformed on the field. Then it slashed multiple times, splicing apart Yumi. The angelic judge turned to dust, and Azure's entire field faded away, along with his. (ALP: 0)

Azure smiled and shut down her DD2 while Takuya deactivated his Duel Pod. "Congratulations Takuya Shinomori, congratulations all of you. Now it is time for you each to be tested. The Trials begin now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Azure Levis and the bulk of her Judge Deck is the property of Time Mage, who also owns Kai and most of his deck. I thank him for the use of a character who filled this role perfectly and made it so I didn't have to come up with a brand new deck for a duelist. Plus I think the Judge Deck is really cool. Also, let's give a warm welcome to Takuya Shinomoro, AKA Kensai, who has made his triumphant return. Also, his Poker Deck is a deck of mine that is amongst my favorite created decks.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Currently the fallen are screwed over indeed. No, the Trinity were never meant to replace the Knights, as the Knights are (IMO) much cooler, I just wanted another brief threat.

The White Mage: Eikyuu does NOT have a Heart of 'Man'. He isn't human in the slightest, therefor cannot have a Heart of Man. He's a god. The Trinity each WERE a Heart of Man incarnated for Eikyuu's purposes. Also, Dalin got the god cards back from Yami after Yami beat Dartz.

WolfGeneral: There's still a little ways to go before this story ends. Like ten or so chapters probably. Not sure on that number.

VoidTemplar: Oddly enough your name just gave me an idea for more cards. Thanks for the unintended help.

Time Mage: Hikari probably duels next chapter. You almost guessed right on how to defeat the Trinity. Eikyuu has three _more_ Hearts of Man, not just three.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Takuya: King of Hearts, Knight to the Third Power, Hearts, Deuce's Knight, Seven, Queen of Diamonds, Diamonds, Ace-Deuce, Crazy Eights, Joker Trick, Dead Man's Hand, Five Card Stud, Cheating Uno, Pick Up, Knight of Ten, Ace's Knight, Cutting the Deck, Joker Barrage

Azure: Light Screen(TM), Yueth-Judge of Being(TM), Yusa-Judge of Will(TM), Heaven's Mirror(TM), Yuez-Judge of Light(TM), Yusaki-Judge of Betrayal(TM), Yurley-Judge of Divinity(TM), White Cross(TM), Judgement from Above(TM), Cherubim Descent, Return of Tithes(TM), Sweeping Life Restoration, Holy Birth(TM), Angel of Balance(TM), Yuten-Judge of Return(TM), Yumi-Judge of Life(TM), Hammer of the Judge, Yeweth-Judge of Mercy(TM), Yusui-Judge of Virtue(TM), Yue-Judge of Soul(TM), Life Energy Shield, Final Judgement(TM), Yuna-Judge of Vision(TM), Citadel of Celestial Glory(TM), Wrath of Heaven(TM)


	34. The Testing of Hikari

Author's Notes: Time for the first Trial and for Hikari's debut.

_**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Testing of Hikari**_

_Azure smiled and shut down her DD2 while Takuya deactivated his Duel Pod. "Congratulations Takuya Shinomori, congratulations all of you. Now it is time for you each to be tested. The Trials begin now."_

She held the Tempus Astrum up, and the sapphire sent a bolt of energy out a few feet. It pierced through the air like a knife, and began to split it down the middle. The blue line of light spread outwards, becoming something like a door. "All of you must enter immediately."

Dalin entered first, followed by Kirani and Hikari. Takuya paused at the entrance, and look at Azure. "You still aren't telling us something, but I'm willing to accept that." Then he entered, and was gone from her view. Finally she entered, and the doorway closed leaving no sign that they had ever been there.

This place, it was a long metal pathway that seemed to extend forever. Dalin recognized it as the same pathway he had been on when he slipped into the realm of the dead to bring Kai back for that brief time. "What first?"

"We'll walk down the path until a door appears. One of you will know that it is your who is to enter it. You must do so alone, in order to face what lies beyond. No assistance can be given." With that said she started walking, and they all began to follow after her.

To their surprise it took less than a minute before a door rose up from the ground. It was a simple white door with numbers on it. It read: Room 751. Other than that, there was nothing unusual about this one. "Whose door is this one?"

There was a pause, and then Hikari raised her hand. "This...this is room number that I was admitted to in the hospital. It was where I was for all those years." Each of them, Dalin aside, started to express their sympathies. But she put her hand up to forestall them.

"It's okay. I just need to get this done. A test of mind, spirit, and body. What could be so hard about that right?" She paused with her hand on the doorknob, and then she turned it. Light washed over her, and in moments there was no sign of her or the door.

Azure leaned up against the wall and closed her eyes. "Now we wait, and we pray."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Welcome Hikari Ihachi. You've come back to your home, a place that you never should have left. It's so good to see you again." Hikari turned around, and found that she was standing inside of the very hospital room that had been her home for years. Standing in the doorway was a man from her dreams. She was fairly sure he was her doctor in real life, but she didn't know him as anything but a dream specter.

"This isn't my home, not anymore. I won't be staying, I'm just here to take a test and be done with it." The doctor chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly wires shot out of the walls and wrapped around her limbs, pulling her upright so she was hanging above the ground.

"You can't leave quite yet. Your brother cut a deal to restore you to full health and strip away your disease. But we're lonely here without you, so we're calling you back. Or...perhaps that's just what you think has happened?" Hikari blinked, not quite understanding what he was saying.

"I see that you don't quite understand. All those dreams that you had while in your coma, they all seemed fairly real didn't they? This seems pretty real as well, only there's magic and evil begins and a world turned topsy turvy. What's to say that this isn't just another one of your dreams?" Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that this was a possibility. Only in her dreams was she ever devoid of her weakness, and here she was without that liability.

"I...I just can't believe that. I don't want to believe it. I WON'T, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!" She pulled against the wires, but found that they held her tight. The more she struggled the tighter her bonds seemed to become.

"Struggling does nothing. But I guess there is one option. This is your nightmare, so things do operate under certain rules. You can accept this fate only if you can defeat me. Now I know you play Duel Monsters, and I know that I happen to have learned how to play for the sake of my kids. Not only that, but because this is your nightmare I know how to duel. Otherwise it wouldn't work out would it?" He smiled brightly and fixed a DD2 on his arm, a deck already inserted.

She yelped as the wires dropped her, letting her land on her feet. She rose back up, and snapped her own duel disk into position. "If that's how this works, then I intend to prove this is no nightmare, no dream! This is real, I'm real!" (HLP: 4000)

"If you say so. But it is my duty as a nightmare specter to teach you that this isn't real. Just to prove the point, whenever you lose life points you will weaken, quite reminiscent of your normal state outside of dreams. If you lose, then you return to your comatose state. And you have no choice about accepting this." He smiled brightly and drew five cards from the top of his deck, holding them up to take a look. (DLP: 4000)

Hikari tried not to let her fear show, but she knew that she was afraid. If she lost now, then she would forever return to her coma. But somehow, she wasn't certain if this was exactly what she wanted. _'What if this isn't real? What then?'_

Trying to shake off the feeling she drew, and immediately held up her new card. "I play Card in Hand, allowing me to take one monster from my deck and add it to my hand!" She popped her deck out of the slot and searched through it before she came to the monster she wanted. Then she returned her deck to its normal position and shuffled it.

"Searching for more than a monster aren't you? Searching for hope within that deck of yours. Fine with me, but the cold mechanical demise of a coma will be all that waits for you at the end of this duel. Until then, go ahead and continue." He smiled cheerfully, acting as if he wasn't threatening her with a return to her old state.

"I activate Polymerization, fusing together Gazelle and Berformet from my hand to create Chimera the Winged Mythical Beast(2100/1800)!" A two headed brown beast roared as it appeared in front of her, shaking its horned heads. Its tail whipped back and forth wildly as it eagerly awaited its chance to go on the offensive.

"Is that really all? Then I guess it's my turn. The doctor is in the house!" The doctor drew, and took two different cards from his hand. When he showed them to her, she saw that each of them was identical to the other. So he was playing two copies of the same card.

"My two cards are both Cost Downs, which require me to discard a card to activate. So together that uses up four cards from my hand. In return all told I get to reduce the level of every monster in my hand by four. That means I can now summon Perfect Machine King(2700/1500) without a tribute!" A tall mechanical humanoid now stood in front of him, barely fitting the hospital room. It looked like some sort of mech from an anime.

"Although my monster is already more powerful than your creature, I have to tell you its ability. For each other machine on the field the perfect king gains five hundred attack points. Now, in order to get more machines I'll have to do some quick thinking. For instance, my Card of Sanctity." He drew six cards, smiling brightly the whole time. In accordance to its effect Hikari drew three new cards.

"Perfect as always, just like my Perfect Machine King. I play Junk Dealer, which lets me bring back two monsters from my cemetery with half of their stats. I think I'll revive Machine King(1100/1000) and Big Core(1150/550)!" Another mech-like monster, this one less complex looking was summoned, along with a large spaceship.

"Thanks to their presence my Perfect Machine King(3700/1500) is now stronger than most monsters in the game. Also, Machine King(1400/1000) gains one hundred attack points for each machine on the field, including itself. That's not all though, because I activate the field card Machine City!" The hospital room vanished, and they were suddenly standing in a city of pure metal, where robots of all shapes and sizes darted about.

"As long as Machine City is active every machine in play gains two hundred attack points. Also, the sacrifice cost of all machines is reduced by one. So my Perfect Machine King(3900/1500), Machine King(1600/1000), and Big Core(1350/550) are all stronger because of it." His three monsters were buffed down by passing drones, and started shining brightly with polish.

"I continue my turn by activating the continuous magic card Junkyard. Each turn I may send a machine to the cemetery from my deck to increase my life points by three hundred. Also, whenever a machine is destroyed in battle that amount increases by one hundred. Another perfect card isn't it?" Hikari didn't bother commenting, as she had already realized this doctor liked to think of himself and his plays as perfect.

"Perfect Machine King, crush her imperfect biological monster and show her its limits." The mechanical ruler grabbed Chimera and with a mighty heave ripped it in half. Hikari nearly lost it as blood sprayed across the city scape. In seconds it was all cleaned up by drones. (HLP: 2200)

"I activate Chimera's special ability, and special summon Berfomet(1400/1800) back to the field in defense mode!" A red two armed beast appeared in front of her, crouching down and crossing its arms in front of itself.

"I see, a defense that my two weakened monsters cannot break. Very well, I set one card face down. Now I send one machine to my cemetery and end my turn." He ejected a card from his deck and then slid it into his cemetery. A passing drone darted up to him and combed his hair back. (DLP: 4300)

Hikari grimaced, realizing that he had a huge advantage over her right now. But she could make this work. "I sacrifice Berfomet to summon Legendary Pegasus(2200/1400) in attack mode!" A white winged horse flew down from above, and the drones immediately combed its glossy fur down.

"Legendary Pegasus, attack his weakest monster, Big Core!" Her monster flew over and pounded its hooves against the ship, but it didn't budge. It appeared to have been chipped and dented a little, but Pegasus' hooves hadn't done any significant damage. (DLP: 3450)

"Such a rash and imperfect move. Big Core cannot be destroyed in battle, and normally it would die after battling with no counters on it. But my Machine City provides for all my monster's needs, and grants it one new counter each turn. So it was a wasted effort." Hikari frowned, and looked over the remaining cards in her hand. She knew what to do, so she set two face down and finished her turn.

"I start my new turn by sending a machine to the cemetery. That means I will yet again gain three hundred life points. Of course had you killed one of my machines, that would have been four hundred points instead." Another drone appeared to primp him, this time making sure his mustache was in perfect order. (DLP: 3750)

"Ah, here we go. I summon Fusilier the Dual Mode Beast(1400/1000). Normally this monster is a level seven, and even with my Machine City it would require a sacrifice. But by reducing is attack and defense by half I can summon it without tribute. Now it gains two hundred points, and Perfect Machine King gains five hundred, while Machine King gains one hundred." Each of his monsters except for Big Core gained attacked points, becoming even deadlier.

"Perfect Machine King(4400/1500), destroy her newest imperfect creature!" The mechanical monstrosity reached out to grab hold of Hikari's monster. But a burning phoenix suddenly swooped down and began flapping its wings. The gust started pushing the Perfect Machine King backwards.

"You let me play my trap card, Phoenix Wing Wind Burst! By discarding one card from my hand I can return one card on your field to the top of your deck. So say goodbye to your so-called 'Perfect' Machine King!" The doctor frowned as his monster vanished, and he was forced to take it off his duel disk and place it on top of his deck.

"Very well then, it seems you have performed better than I would have guessed. Turn end." Hikari nodded and then drew a new card, determined to take the lead now that she had the chance. Also, she had the perfect method to do so.

"I summon Harpy Lady #1(1300/1400) whose effect increases the attack of all wind types by three hundred. That boosts her to sixteen hundred, and Legendary Pegasus to twenty-five hundred. Now, I attack Big Core and Machine King!" Her two monsters blew apart the two machines, whose remains were carted away. However, Big Core reformed itself just moments later. (DLP: 2600)

Hikari set a single card face down, and then her turn was over. The doctor drew his next card, already knowing that it would be his Perfect Machine King. Not that he was in the slightest bit bothered by this, after all, it was his perfect monster. "Your time is running out little girl. I send another machine to my cemetery." (DLP: 3000)

"Now, I sacrifice Big Core in order to summon back Perfect Machine King(3400/1500)!" His mighty machine monster appeared, and then suddenly flickered and vanished. He looked outraged, but Hikari was smiling. She motioned to her newest card, which was now face up.

"You triggered my trap card, Selection of Ark. This works when the opponent tries to summon a monster of the same sub-type as another on the field. I can negate that summon. Since you already had a machine on the field I negated your summon, and now your Perfect Machine King is in the grave as is your Big Core." The doctor's eyes went wide and he felt his calm demeanor start to slip. That was twice she had defeated his monster with little effort.

"Very well, I activate the equip card Necklace of Give and Take and equip it to my Fusilier. Next Fusilier shall attack Harpy Lady #1!" The two monsters clashed, and were instantly destroyed. But since their attack power was equal neither player took any life point damage.

"Since the monster equipped with my necklace was destroyed in battle I may choose one of two effects. I choose to draw one card." He snapped another card off his deck, returning his hand size to a consistent three.

"I activate Monster Reincarnation, and discard one card from my hand to return Perfect Machine King to my hand. I have just discarded Repayment of Losses, so I get to draw another card." Despite having played a card and discarded one, his hand was still at three cards. Hikari began to wonder if he would ever lower his hand beyond that point.

"Next I play the continuous card Weight Reduction, which allows me to once per turn shuffle a level seven or higher monster from my hand into my deck to draw one card." He took his recently returned Perfect Machine King to his deck, and then shuffled it up. After that he drew a card, leaving him with two cards in his hand.

"To continue I activate the continuous magic card Machine Recycling Plant, which allows me to send a machine from my deck to cemetery in order to draw two cards. Also, since a machine went from my deck to my cemetery I may gain life points according to the effect of my Junkyard." Energy flowed into his disk as once again he gained life points, and he drew to restore his hand to three cards. (DLP: 3500)

"My next play consists of activating Pot of Greed, and then activating Monster Reborn to revive the Perfect Machine King(2900/1500) that I discarded with Machine Recycling Plant. Since this was my second main phase, my turn is over." He smiled at her, cockily waving his three card hand back and forth.

Hikari drew, and felt rather uncertain as to what she should do. She had just three cards in her hand, much like the doctor, but her only monster was her Legendary Pegasus and it was no match for Perfect Machine King. Her face down card wouldn't be of any use either. _'He's got all the advantage, and I'm feeling weaker each moment. If I don't defeat him, then I'll go back to how I was before!'_

She felt a shiver run through her body, and stared blankly at her hand of cards, trying to figure out a way to make things work. There was only one combo she saw available to her that might help. "I shift Legendary Pegasus into defense mode, and then I set one card face down. End turn."

The doctor smirked and popped a card out of his deck right after drawing. "Another monster goes from my deck to my cemetery, and thanks to the joint combination of Junkyard and Machine Recycling Plant I gain five hundred life points and draw twice." He did so, and energy flowed into his duel disk. (DLP: 4000)

"I activate the effect of Weight Reduction, and shuffle a Perfect Machine King from my hand back into my deck in order to draw once." He returned the named card to his deck, and then smirked confidently as he saw his newest card.

"For my next card I shall play Foolish Burial. I choose to send a monster from my deck to my cemetery, therefor increasing my life points by a further five hundred and letting me draw two cards." He popped the card out of his deck and flashed it, showing it to be Perfect Machine King. He slid it into his cemetery, and then picked up the top two cards of his deck. (DLP: 4500)

Already he had seven cards in his hand, and it didn't look like that number would be truly reducing anytime soon. "I play Monster Reincarnation and discard one card from my hand to pick back up the Perfect Machine King I just sent to the cemetery."

"Next I activate another Cost Down, discarding a card in order to let me summon Perfect Machine King(3400/1500) to the field. That makes two Perfect Machine Kings and each one assists the other in gaining attack points." Just like that his hand size was back down to three, and he had two of his favorite monsters in play. His card combos weren't really hurting Hikari, but there were making the situation worse for her.

"I'll play the equip card Necklace of Give and Take on Legendary Pegasus. That means when I destroy it I'll be able to draw one card. Now, Perfect Machine King the first, attack Legendary Pegasus!" The machine launched its fist out, blowing straight through Legendary Pegasus. Then the doctor drew a card, returning his hand to three cards.

"The second Perfect Machine King shall attack you directly for the win!" It extended its fist, but suddenly Legendary Pegasus flew up, catching the strike in the chest. For the second time in the turn the Legendary Pegasus was destroyed, leaving her field devoid of monsters.

"My Spirit of the Monster let me block your attack by removing a recently destroyed monster from the game. This continuous card will remain in play as long as I have monsters in the grave. So I can block a total of four more attacks." The doctor frowned, and then folded his arms over his chest, indicating that his turn was done.

Now that it was her turn again, she had to figure out a way to get past his combination real quickly. He wasn't even trying to defend himself, because all he needed was his monsters at such a great strength. _'Is he too strong for me, or is it really because the dark is always stronger than the light in a nightmare?'_

"I...I...errr." She frowned, trying to decide exactly what she could do. Finally she settled on a move. "I play Reasoning. You have to guess a level, and then I draw cards until I reach a monster. If it's the right level then I discard it along with the other drawn cards. If it's not the right level, it gets special summoned."

The doctor smirked and held up three fingers, indicating that he thought it was going to be a level three monster. Hikari idly wondered what the doctor's obsession was with the number three. "You guessed wrong Mr. Perfect! The top card of my deck comes out, revealing Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys(2400/2000)!" A massive bird of flame roared out onto the field, flapping its wings and creating small tornados of flame.

"I set one card face down, and that ends my turn!" The doctor quirked an eyebrow, obviously not amused by her new monster. He also didn't see it as being of the slightest threat.

"First, I throw out a monster from my deck to draw twice and gain five hundred life points. Then I'll do so again. It's quite amusing to have two cards that benefit each other with similar effects. All told, I draw four times and gain one thousand life points." He began searching through his eight cards, trying to decide what to play. At the same time his life points took a spike upwards. (DLP: 5500)

"I'll use Weight Reduction's effect and return Perfect Machine Queen(2600/1400) to my deck in order to draw a card." He slipped the named card back into his deck, and then popped another one off the top.

He reached for another card, but was stopped when he noticed something spinning around the neck of his opponent's phoenix monster. "No...but that's the Ring of Destruction!"

"That's right, and I'm destroying my own phoenix to deal you twenty-four hundred life points of damage. In the meantime I'll discard a card from my hand to activate my remaining face down card. It's called Hallowed Life Barrier which saves my life points from damage this turn!" The phoenix exploded, spraying flame all over the doctor. Hikari on the other hand was shielded by a glowing barrier. (DLP: 3100)

"What a worthless move. I may not be able to hurt you quite yet, but I do have to say that shortly I will be able to. Watch and learn little girl, because your nightmare is about to come true!" He grabbed two cards from his hand, and slipped one onto his disk first. A warp began to appear above the head of the first Perfect Machine King.

"My Dimensionhole will remove Perfect Machine King from the game until the end of my turn. Then the second one will do the same with my other king. Curious as to why I did this? Just wait and see." His two monsters vanished into the warps above their heads, leaving his field empty. Then the doctor reached for his disk, and pressed a button on it.

"At last my strategy is complete since five turns have passed and this card has been face down for that long. Now you will see why I kept sending monsters to the graveyard as I reveal my continuous magic card Rise of the Machines! When activated it counts up the total turns it was face down and lets me sacrifice it to revive that many machines from the grave!" Hikari's eyes widened as she realized he was about to summon five monsters to the field in a single turn.

"Rise up, V Tiger Jet(1700/1200), W Double Wing Catapult(1400/1600), X Head Cannon(1800/1500), Y Dragon Head(1500/1600), and Z Metal Tank(1500/1300)!" Five machine monsters appeared, each of them looking somewhat like a monster except for the W. Hikari frowned, not recognizing any of them. Then again, she was four years behind on Duel Monsters cards.

"I activate their special effects, and remove them all from the game to bring out a fusion monster like none other! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon(3200/2800) whose effect once per turn removes one card on your field from the game! So Spirit of the Monster is gone!" The massive mecha pointed at her trap and blasted it, instantly vaporizing it. Hikari was just lucky that he couldn't deal life point damage to her this turn.

"Now, I set two cards face down, and end my turn, returning both of my Perfect Machine Kings(3900/1500) to the field!" He laughed brightly, amused by her predicament. She had just one card in her hand, and no field whatsoever. In addition he had three behemoth monsters and the ability to remove one card from her field each turn.

She took a deep breath, and as extended one hand out over her field. "I just drew, so that makes it my turn. Now, rise up from the depths great Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys(2400/2000) who is revived whenever destroy by an effect! Next her special ability destroys all magic and trap cards!"

The phoenix formed and flapped its wings, sending sprays of flame down upon the field. The doctor scowled as his impressive card combo and his two face down cards were utterly blown away by her phoenix's effect. "You destroy my combo...for that you shall pay!"

"If you say so. I summon Goblin of Greed(1000/1800) in defense mode. Then I activate Graceful Charity. Since Goblin of Greed makes it so neither of us can discard for a card effect, I draw three cards at no cost." The doctor scowled again as she drew three cards from her deck, giving her more to work with.

"I set two cards face down, and activate Piece of Cake, which increases my life points by twelve hundred points." A little cake with white icing appeared in front of her, and she took a big bite out of it. She swallowed it down and grinned as her life points rose. (HLP: 3400)

Since she had no further plays that she could make, the doctor felt that it was once again his move. So he drew a card, leaving him with five cards in his hand. His best cards were gone, along with his mighty Machine City. Now they were just back in the hospital room. "VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon will remove your Phoenix from the game!"

"Not if I chain that with my Assault on Goblin Headquarters! This lets me select one monster and destroy it, then you have to send the top two cards of your deck to the cemetery. Since I've just sent my phoenix to the grave, your effect fails and she'll be back next turn." The doctor growled and ditched the top two cards of his deck.

"You'll pay for that girl, and I will crush your creatures! Watch as I play Premature Burial at a cost of eight hundred life points to revive one of the two cards just discarded. Rise up, Perfect Machine King(4200/1500)!" Now he had three of his ultimate monsters in play, along with his combination monster with its deadly abilities. (DLP: 2300)

"I'm not done yet! I play Polymerization to fuse together the three Perfect Machine Kings and create Deus Ex Machina(4000/4000)!" The room warped, and the city from before seemed to reform. His monster was like a city in itself, and though Hikari could vaguely see a face in the massive form, there were smaller machines everywhere.

"This is my ultimate monster who gains one thousand attack points for every machine monster on the field and cannot be destroyed by any targeted trap cards! Now, I activate Renewal of Triplets since I have three identical monsters in the graveyard, and revive my three Perfect Machine Kings(4700/1500)!" They appeared once again, giving him a total of five monsters.

"Their presence perfects Deus Ex Machina, raising its attack to an untouchable eight thousand! Now I activate my ultimate magic card! One With The Machine! By sacrificing all my life points I join together with Deus Ex Machina, and make it immune to all destruction effects! I only lose when it is destroyed!" The face warped, and became that of the doctor. The machine-like city let out a booming laugh. (DLP: 0)

"Now, prepare to lose your entire self! For though during this turn I cannot attack you, my other monsters can! VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon attacks your Goblin of Greed, initiating its ability and moving your monster into attack mode!" A burst of flame from the mecha's fists incinerated the cubby goblin, and did a real number on Hikari's life points. (HLP: 1400)

The machine god that was formerly the doctor laughed darkly as her knees buckled and then she collapsed, losing all of her strength. "You can feel it closing in on you can't you? The darkness is coming for you, ready to take you back and embrace you forever in eternal night! You'll never wake up!"

Everything quivered around her, like the world was shaking apart. Had she been fully conscience, she would have realized that it was from the steps of the three approaching Perfect Machine Kings. _'I'm going to return to how I was, forever lost in my own mind. Is that really what I want?'_

She felt herself falling deeper into herself, and then the world changed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_You said earlier that you know my brother. How is Daisuke, and where exactly is he?" Hikari took note of the look on Kirani's face when the question was asked. There was a flash of pain there, she'd have to remember that._

"_He's...probably not the same person you remember. A lot of things happened to him after you slipped into a coma, but he's been getting better. He's risked everything for you more than once, you're lucky to have such a devoted brother. He'd do anything for you...literally." Kirani dropped her eyes, the pained look returning._

"_There's something you're having trouble telling me, I can tell. The sooner you get it out in the open, the easier it will be to deal with." When Kirani's head lifted, Hikari was surprised to find tears in the younger girl's eyes._

"_He...he was tricked, and he made a mistake. Because of how much he wanted you to be better, so that you wouldn't die, he...released Eikyuu. Now he's gone. Nobody knows what happened to him, but Taichi said that he was gone for good." _

"_Daisuke...he's the reason I've returned to normal, and that my disease is gone? It seems that he's become my own guiding light, and not the other way around. But if there's one thing I know about him, it's that you can't keep him down. So no matter what happens, we can both keep fighting so that we can see him again. Right?"_

_Kirani smiled, and wiped away her tears. The two girls clasped hands, smiling at each other. "Right. We'll both see him again, we just have to keep on fighting, no matter what happens. It's what he would do."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'_Keep fighting, for his sake. I won't let all his work go to waste by letting myself fall back into that darkness again!' _

"Open face down card, Blossom of Equality! This will destroy one attacking monster and any monsters on your field with an equal or lesser attack strength! That means all three of your Perfect Machine Kings are finished and removed from the game!" A burst of flower petals washed over the three machines, and they each shattered into nothingness. Then the flower petals washed over the combination machine, and it too was destroyed.

Deus Ex Machina shuddered in frustration, its attack power falling to four thousand again. "You are lucky that as Deus Ex Machina I cannot attack in this turn. You are saved...for now."

Hikari struggled to her feet, and drew a card with all the strength of her body. "I was saved long before this, thanks to my brother! And the only way that I can return the favor is by getting through you and passing this Trial, so I WILL WIN!"

She flipped up the card, and after a cursory glance she slammed it down onto her duel disk. "I sacrificed Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys in order to summon Perseus, the Legendary Warrior(2600/2400) who requires the sacrifice of a monster with 'sacred', 'mythical', 'mystical', or 'legendary' in their name to be summoned!"

A handsome man in old Greek armor wielding a long sword and a shield that seemed shiny enough to act as a mirror now took his place where the phoenix had once been. "The moment that Perseus is summoned I can take one 'Legendary Pegasus' from my cemetery or from out of play and summon it to the field!"

The white winged horse flew down from above, landing right next to Perseus. "Now, I union the two together in order to increase Perseus attack and defense by four hundred! Not only that, but each player may now draw four cards!"

Perseus jumped up on top of Pegasus, and the horse whinnied, taking flight into the air. Feathers rained down, and Hikari drew four cards. At the same time, four giant holographic cards appeared in the massive machine god in front of her, making a total of five. "You made your last mistake girl! By discarding cards from my hand I can increase my own attack power by one thousand! So I'll discard my five cards in order to gain five thousand attack points!"

The city of a monster grew as its power increased to nine thousand. It let out a booming laugh which nearly knocked Hikari off her feet. "I'm content with that. After all, there's no need to be bothered since I know I can win! Go, Revive the Myth!"

Sacred Phoenix of Nephtys shrieked as it burst out of the ground, flapping its wings. Then Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast also burst out of the ground and roared for its triumphant return. "For each card I discard from my hand I can revive a monster with 'legendary', 'sacred', 'mythical', or 'mystical' in their name from the grave. So I throw out two cards to bring back these two."

"It means nothing, for your puny creatures are no match for the very God of the Machine, Deus Ex Machina! I am too powerful for those weaklings, and no effect can destroy me. You're grasping a straws." A slight smirk appeared on Hikari's face as she flipped around one of the cards she was discarding, revealing a Repayment of Losses. Had the now mechanized doctor known her brother, he would have recognized the smirk.

"Better watch out, because I'm not the one who drew the short straw! I can't destroy you, but I can beat you! I activate Union Breakdown, which splits my union apart!" Perseus patted his horse on the head, and then dismounted. The horse whinnied in disappointment, but let him go.

"Still completely pointless! Your monsters cannot touch me, for I am perfect! Shortly you will fall to my strength, and be lost to the eternal abyss. There is absolutely no way to escape from the nightmare." Hikari closed her eyes and dropped her head for a moment. In that moment, Deus Ex Machina felt a surge of triumph fill his mechanized body. Then she snapped her head up and opened her eyes revealing...determination.

"I can't say whether this is all a dream or not, but I just have to believe that it isn't! Even if this isn't reality, then I'm perfectly happy with it. Better a dream of being awake then forever being asleep. Now, it's time to show you your flaws Mr. Perfect!" She slid the final card in her hand into a slot in her duel disk, and energy began to surge through Deus Ex Machina.

The city-like machine monster bellowed with rage as his body began to shake apart. "What's going on! What have you done to me! This cannot be happening, I can't be destroyed by effects!"

"I'm not destroying you, I'm exploiting your flaw. See, you're a fusion. And because I happen to have fusions in my deck, I had another special magic card. You wanted a Deus Ex Machina, well here one is! De-fusion which breaks you down into your base parts, the doctor and the machine!" The doctor dropped out of the face of the machine, and collapsed on the ground. All the lights in the machine went dark. (DLP: 9000)

"Lucky for you all the attack points of your city went to your life points, and since I didn't kill it you're safe. On the other hand, now it has zero attack points. And since you've got a degree, I'm sure you can manage the math on my monsters. For instance...Chimera, destroy Deus Ex Machina!" The two-headed creature charged forwards, and smashed straight through the machine's head. It fell apart into spare pieces, leaving no traces and leaving them in the hospital room again. (DLP: 6900)

"This can't be happening! I'm perfect!" The doctor struggled away, looking at the three remaining monsters in fear.

"Sacred Phoenix, make him feel his imperfections really well, and Pegasus will do the same!" Both winged creatures rose up and began flapping their wings. A burst of wind crashed into the doctor, hurling him against he wall. Then fire rained down on him, weakening his body even further. (DLP: 2300)

"Now, for the finish! Perseus, show him what kind of hero you are. Attack him directly!" Perseus charged forwards and slashed his sword across the doctor's chest. The man slumped backwards, his life points falling from the attack. (DLP: 0)

"No...I lost...so my punishment...it goes to me!" He cried out in terror and then suddenly he just collapsed, falling into the hospital bed. He was completely silent, and Hikari knew that she had won.

"Thank you my monsters, thank you for helping me win. Thank you Kirani, and thank you Drake. You both helped me realize that I didn't need to be afraid anymore, or be weak. I have my own strength, and now I understand that." She turned, finding the door was back. She stepped forwards, and turned the handle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: There you go. Hikari's first duel, and it is revealed that she runs what I like to call a Mythological Deck. Or perhaps a 'Mythology Deck'.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: We talked, and your guesses were pretty spot on. So, huzzah then yes?

The White Mage: Yep, that's pretty much what she is. Although she has some other jobs too.

WolfGeneral: Eh, no big. And thanks for the compliment. I thought up the deck while researching card games.

VoidTemplar: Nope, not Valkyries. Also, she never used Valkryies. That was Ihachi, who just looks like her. It's one of those creepy things.

Time Mage: Azure is too much younger than Dalin for that to at all work out. Oh, and it is weird how we do that.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Hikari: Card in Hand, Legendary Pegasus, Spirit of the Monster, Piece of Cake, Blossom of Equality, Perseus the Legendary Warrior, Revive the Myth, Repayment of Losses, Union Breakdown

Doctor: Machine City, Junkyard, Repayment of Losses, Machine Recycling Plant, Rise of the Machines(WG), Deus Ex Machina, Renewal of Triplets, One With The Machine


	35. Stepping Back into Shadow

Author's Notes: Next in the line up is...

_**Chapter Thirty-Four: Stepping Back into Shadow**_

Azure watched the little light carefully. She had noticed it earlier, and now she was sure that it was following them. It was a little green light that seemed to flit about like a firefly. Every time that she went to look back it would vanish from sight, only to return seconds later when she turned away. She could always see it out of the corner of her eye though. _'I've come to this place before, but I've never seen anything like it. What exactly is that thing?'_

"It's best not to worry about it at the moment Azure. That thing has been following us for quite some time now, even from before we entered this place. Whatever it is, it's quite interested in our actions. Likely it's a spy for Eikyuu, but we can't do anything about it." Dalin didn't bother to look back at her even as he said it, he just continued walking.

"Dalin's pretty much right. I saw that thing flitting after us like four or five times when we were working our way through the city. It'll vanish occasionally, but then it comes right back as if it were never gone. Best not to worry about it." Azure scowled at Kirani, irritated that the younger girl was taking this so lightly.

'_And if the thing is dangerous, what then? The fact that it is able to intrude upon the Trials is confusing. Nothing should be able to enter here without the proper rights, no matter how powerful. Even Eikyuu couldn't enter here while the Trials are going on and he's a god!'_ She frowned and shot another glance over her shoulder, but the green light was gone again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So they've vanished have they? Send some of our best soldiers to investigate their last known location. They may not be a threat, but they are still The Fallen, and they defeated the Trinity. Be on guard." The priest in front of Eikyuu's throne bowed to his god, and then backed away.

Eikyuu stared off into the distance, the hollows of the eye's of his mask seeming to shine with images. Within those eyes Madison Square Gardens could be seen, and though it appeared to be empty, not that long ago the Fallen had gone through a portal of some sort. "That girl appears to be another of the Fallen. They are congregating together it seems."

The mighty god of order turned his head to look at the large group of priests that were gathered in a circle, chanting. Within the intricate circle of symbols there were several people, all of them naked and painted with similar symbols all over their bodies. "Progress report?"

A priest stepped up and bowed to him, keeping his eyes off the god. "Everything is progressing exactly as scheduled Great Lord Eikyuu. Our sacrifices are plentiful, and at this current rate it will be completed on time. However, the ritual may not be successful unless we gain a few more of the Hearts of Man."

If Eikyuu had a normal mouth, he might have been frowning. But since his face was just a mask, he was unable to do so. "Hatred, Balance, Suffering, Power, Courage, Friendship, Past, Present, Future, and Soul. Ten Hearts of Man are not enough are they? So it will take an even dozen, just as I suspected. Had that boy not escaped our grasp we would have the even dozen by now. Has there been in any progress in locating Daisuke Ihachi?"

"No my lord. So far he remains completely hidden from us, his present location unknown. We believe that he is no longer on this plane of existence." Eikyuu nodded, waving his hand absently to dismiss the man. The priest backed away, and returned to oversee the ritual.

"Something is stirring. Very intriguing."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group stopped, frowning at seeing a sliding door appear in front of them. It was like the entrance to an elevator of some kind, much different than the previous one. All of them were looking at it carefully, trying to see who would have to go. "This elevator doesn't spark anything in me."

Takuya nodded, agreeing with Dalin. He didn't feel anything from it either. All four of them glanced over at Kirani, who was looking at the elevator door curiously. "I...feel like I've seen this before. So I guess that means I'm next. I'll just go and break a leg, shall I?"

Kirani stepped forwards and the elevator doors slid open. She entered, and they closed behind her. Then to their eyes, the elevator doors vanished. "Good luck Kirani, good luck."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I knew this damned elevator seemed familiar. The KC logo on it tells all, because that arrogant jerk puts his logo on everything of his. This is the same elevator that was on KC Craft 1, that blimp of Kaiba's that the first part of the Battle City Finals took place on. But what am I doing here?" She didn't even touch a button, and the elevator began to rise.

In mere moments the elevator had stopped, and the doors slid open. She walked out, and found herself staring at the night's sky. She was now standing directly in front of the miniature dueling ring that had been used to conduct duels. Mist surrounded the opposite end of the ring. _'This is eerily familiar in a few too many ways.'_

"Will the final duelists of the first round, Taichi Nobuki and Kirani Kajika, please step into the ring to begin the duel?" Kirani blinked, and turned to her right. Just as she had thought, Isona was standing there in his referee position. But there was something different about him...it was as if his face was melting!

The sound of snickering brought her attention to the side, where she found something very surprising. There was Drake, laughing slightly, and his face also seemed to be melting. She could see all of the others there as well, each one watching her with their faces half melted off. "Sing us a song frog girl!"

The sound of Joey Wheeler's voice and the laughter that followed helped her make the complete connection. Even as she stepped up onto the dueling ring she knew what was coming. _'This is exactly the same situation as when I dueled the dark spirit...only every is warped. What's going on here?'_

The fog parted, and she discovered someone standing right in front of her. It was none other than Taichi Nobuki, only just like all the others his face seemed to be melting away. She could see his cheek bones as the skin parted out of the way. _'There's something deeply disturbing about this situation. At least I know this isn't the dark spirit, that thing was destroyed.'_

Taichi smirked and activated his disc, Kirani followed suit with her own disc. At the same time both players drew an opening hand of five cards, and began to plan. "Go ahead little girl, I'll give you the first turn. Show me what you can do." (TLP: 4000)

Kirani nodded and snapped the top card off her deck. Examining it briefly, she decided that since she didn't know exactly what was going on here, she'd just start off easy and see how he would react. "I set one monster in defense mode. That's all." (KLP: 4000)

Taichi shrugged and drew his own card, grinning at the sight of it. Quickly he slapped it down onto one of his monster zones and laughed as a wicked looking demon appeared on the field, flexing its sharp claws. "My Demon Soldier(1900/1500) has enough attack strength to eliminate any monster you've got! DEMON CLAW!"

Her eyes widened as she realized exactly what was happening here. _'That move...it's exactly the same one that was played against me before! And I'm certain that's exactly what he said as well!'_

The demon leapt across the field and slashed down across Kirani's defense monster. An old man was briefly seen before he vanished from existence. "Things aren't the same as they were back then! You just destroyed Wise One Gilford(700/400) whose flip effect lets me add one magic card from my deck to my hand!"

She flipped through her deck before she finally settled on what she wanted. "Is that all you've got Taichi, or can I take my move?" Taichi shrugged and gave her the signal to take her turn.

Kirani immediately slipped the card into her duel disk, activating its effect. "I play Enter the Storm! At a cost of one thousand life points I can special summon a Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) to the field and activate its effect!" (KLP: 3000)

Her mighty warrior appeared and blew away Demon Soldier with a lightning bolt. "Gilford normally can't attack this turn, but I've got other plans. First, my normal summon. Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) in attack mode!" A blue armored creature with a pronged spear stepped up beside her powerful Gilford the Lightning, both holding their weapons at the ready.

"Next up, the Quick Attack magic card! This will let Gilford the Lightning attack in this turn, and you've got nothing to stop them! Gilford the Lighting and Kaiser Seahorse attack you directly!" The two monsters charged forwards, only to have two little furballs jump in the wall and be slashed in half instead.

"What, you didn't think that this duel would be the exact same as before did you? I discarded two Kuribohs(300/200) from my hand to negate the damage from both your attacks. Anything else little girl?" Kirani frowned, actually fairly surprised that Taichi had responded. It seemed this all wasn't just a repeat of their previous duel. But what he was, she still wasn't sure.

"End turn. Let's see what you have in store for me." With that said, she was done, and Taichi drew his card. He smirked and briefly stuck his tongue out through the hole in his cheek, making Kirani shudder in disgust.

"What a great draw. I summon Hell Soldier(1200/1000) in attack mode! Then I'll reverse two cards. Guess that's it, now isn't it?" Kirani frowned as a stout but muscular man in armor appeared in front of Taichi, wielding a sharp looking blade in his hand. It looked threatening, but it was weak.

"My turn! I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse to summon another Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400)!" A duplicate of her other monster took the seahorse's place, raising his sword to tap it against the first one's sword. Taichi just smirked.

'_He's so confident, but I'm not worried. I've got a card in my hand that can protect my monsters from being destroyed and keep me safe.'_ She pointed at the Hell Soldier, her face set in a grim line. There was no way to tell what such a duelist had in store for her, as the normal Taichi and most particularly the dark spirit always had something planned. But this couldn't be either one of them, could it?

"Gilford the Lightning, blast his Hell Soldier and send it back to its home in the deep abyss! Thunderbolt Cut!" Gilford roared his battle cry and leapt forwards, slashing his sword through the creature. To Kirani's surprise it shattered into pieces and nothing seemed to happen. (KLP: 1400, TLP: TLP: 3000)

"What's going on here? Why did I lose life points, and how come you didn't lose as many as you should have?" Taichi smirked and motioned to one of his cards, which revealed itself. It showed Dark Ruler Hades sinking its teeth into the neck of a Demon Soldier.

"First of all when Hell Soldier is destroyed in battle both players take the damage. Secondly, one of my two face down cards was Demon Blood, a continuous trap that grants me half of a demon's attack in life points whenever one is destroyed." He smirked again, satisfied with his progress. Then he seemed to remember something and a happy look appeared on his face.

"I'd almost forgotten what my face down card was. Call of the Haunted, to revive Hell Soldier(1200/1000) in attack mode! Now should you attack you'll deal a total of one thousand damage to me...but you'll also finish yourself off!" He threw back his head and laughed, confident that she couldn't go on the attack.

'_He's right, I can't attack under these circumstances. But I can't let him attack next turn either. Whoever this guy is that's imitating the dark spirit and Taichi, he's a good duelist'_ She frowned and slid one card from her hand onto her duel disk. It appeared face down in between the two Gilfords.

The Taichi look-alike looked over the two cards in his hand, and then snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "Oh yeah, Hell Soldier, attack Gilford the Lightning!" Before it got far a barricade of water shot up, blocking its path.

"My Squall Barrier let me negate your attack and add a creature with 'Gilford' in it's name from my deck or cemetery to my hand. Thanks for that." She quickly found the card she was looking for and then waited for the so-called Taichi to continue.

"Confident a lot aren't you? Well, I'll help you be confident. Go, Raging Summoning of Hell! This lets both of us special summon a monster from our deck or cemetery with the same name as one that's on our field. So I bring out another Hell Soldier(1200/1000)!" Kirani nodded and slammed a Gilford the Lightning down onto her duel disk, completing her set of three.

"I guess next I'll just set this monster in defense mode. Then it's back to you." Kirani knew there was a reason he was being so confident. She couldn't attack either of his Hell Soldiers, or else she would lose the duel. Not only that, but unless she made sure to block them in his next turn he could just slam one into a Gilford the Lightning and finish her off.

"You act so confident, but you forget I got to choose a monster to summon. So here's Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) whose effect lets me draw one card from the top of my deck and one from the bottom!" She grabbed the two cards, and added them to her hand. So far it had stayed an impressive size, and was right now at six cards. On the other hand Taichi had no cards in his hand.

"Gilford of Thunder, attack the face down monster!" Her monster's sword slashed straight through it, and goo splashed over the Gilford. It groaned and stumbled backwards, colliding with Kirani. She grimaced as pain lanced through her back when she collided with the metal bar behind her. (KLP: 900, TLP: 3500)

Suddenly two purple blobs appeared on Taichi's field, drifting around like they were nothing. "Again I have to thank you, because you destroyed my Giant Germ(1000/100). When destroyed in battle I not only get to deal you five hundred damage, but I also get to summon the other two from my deck in attack mode. And Demon Blood gave me five hundred points since the germs are demons even though they don't look it."

"This may be a risky move, but one of my two Gilfords will obliterate one of those Germs!" Gilford the Lightning slashed his blade, and lightning blew apart the slimy virus creature. The goo splattered across the field, and the damage was dealt to both parties involved. (KLP: 400, TLP: 2200)

'_I can't risk an attack on him right now. If I kill a Germ I'll lose, and if I kill a Hell Soldier I'll lose. He's got me pretty stuck, but I can't just give in. I'll have to just keep dueling.'_ She grabbed two cards from her hand and slid them onto her duel disk. They both shimmered and appeared in front of her, ready to protect her life points.

Taichi smirked and picked up the top card of his deck. "I know, I'll just set this card face down. Now, Hell Soldier will attack Gilford of Thunder!" The demonic soldier charged towards her own soldier of thunder. The two creatures clashed blades, and suddenly electricity flowed between the two and Hell Soldier was blown away.

"You triggered my trap card, Storm Barrier, which lets me destroy an attacking monster. Not only that, but I get to inflict seven hundred life points of damage to the opponent. So take your punishment like a man!" Arcs of lightning shot out of her trap and into Taichi's body. He jerked about a bit, but even through the volts of electricity he was smiling smugly. (TLP: 2000)

"Is that really all? I guess I'll just kill you with my other Hell Soldier then." He started to point at her Gilford of Thunder, but before he could announce his attack the remaining card on Kirani's field flipped up.

"Go, Dust Tornado! This will destroy Call of the Haunted and send your remaining Hell Soldier to the cemetery. Then I'll set one card from my hand onto the field according to the secondary effect of Dust Tornado." A new card appeared to replace the lost ones, even as a dust devil blasted apart Taichi's face up trap card and got rid of the Hell Soldier.

"That won't save you at all! Giant Germ, attack her Gilford of Thunder for the finish!" Kirani smirked and nodded to the three identical monsters on her field. They stepped forwards, and crossed their blades together. A wall of lightning surged up and the germ was ripped apart as it went through.

"At any point in time I can activate Tri-Thunder Shield from my hand or deck while I have each Gilford the Lightning in play. Not only does it negate one attack, but I get to gain double that monster's attack power as life. That monster is also destroyed in case you hadn't noticed." She smiled confidentally as the barrier dropped, and energy flowed into her duel disk. (KLP: 2400, TLP: 2500)

Taichi snickered and shrugged his shoulders, obviously not bothered by her sudden increase in life points. "Very impressive of you, looks like you've passed the first part of my test for you. Now, you know this trial is supposed to be of mind, body, and spirit right? Well you've obviously proved your spirit by not giving into the fear you should have had of me. For body, you'll have to overcome the strain that will occur when we up this to a darkness game!"

The blimp faded away, and she found herself standing in infinite darkness. Also, she was standing on what looked like a floating platform of stones. It was formed up of what looked like different layers of stone, and currently each of them had three layers. "A Darkness Game huh? So what are the rules to this one?"

"It's simple. Each layer of stone indicates a measure of one thousand life points. We're between two and three thousand, so we have three layers. When we drop below two thousand a layer will be destroyed. When your life points reach zero the final layer will be destroyed and you'll fall to your fate." Kirani grimaced and inched forwards, peering over the edge. Unfortunately she couldn't see any bottom.

"What happens if we fall?" The half-melted duelist smirked and tapped a finger against the hole in his cheek, obviously enjoying Kirani's disgust with it.

"Although it seems like infinite darkness, waiting far below us is a swarm. Billions upon billions of fire ants. Normally a fire ant's bite, or sting, or whatever you want to call it isn't that bad. Annoying yes, but not really much. But if you fall, you will be covered by them." He snickered at the look on Kirani's face.

"They will crawl into your eyes, your eyes, your mouth, your nose, they will invade every part of your body. You will not suffocate because that would be too easy. No, you will slowly be die as those little bitty ants take nibbles out of your flesh. You will be very much alive as they eat you." Kirani gulped, realizing that if she did lose she would suffer enormously.

'_That's so freaking scary and inventive that it's hard to believe this guy isn't actually the Dark Spirit. Or am I just imagining things?'_ Taichi rolled his eyes, and motioned for her to start her turn. She did so, glancing casually at her newest card.

"Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in attack mode! Now, these five monsters will show you just what it means to piss me off! ALL OUT ATTACK!" All five monsters charged forwards, and suddenly a pulse of energy knocked them backwards. She grimaced when she saw that Taichi's face down card had just flipped up.

"It's time to get serious now. My face down trap card not only negated your attack, but it also ended your battle phase. It's called Appearance of Lost Souls, and its effect will now create five Lost Soul(300/300) tokens!" Five black spheres appeared, forming from the darkness. They darted around Taichi, and he smiled warmly at them.

'_Lost Souls! That was part of the dark spirit's strategy against Dalin, and it was in his Soul Deck! Those cards don't exist in real life, so could this really be the dark spirit?'_ Not quite sure what to do she simply let her turn end, hoping that she'd be able to turn this back in her favor during her next turn. She knew that Lost Souls could block attacks, so she could wipe out all five in the next turn.

"You know, I think the greatest ability of duelists like you and your pals is their ability to top deck their way to victory. You face opponents with superior skill and power and yet you win because you can always draw the card you need. But what happens when you face an opponent who can do the same? Like oh say...me? Go, Hellish Accountant!" A red skinned demon in glasses appeared on the field, and began punching numbers into a calculator.

"Hellish Accountant counts up the number of cards on your field and lets me draw that many. You have six cards, so I get to draw six. As compensation normally you'd either get to summon a monster like one you have on your field or draw till you get a monster to special summon, but your field is empty. So that's six free cards for me!" He laughed darkly and drew his brand new hand.

"I think I'll start off by playing my magic card Seeking the Soul! I can instantly destroy one monster on your field and create a number of Lost Souls(300/300) equal to its level. So say goodbye to a Gilford the Lightning and hello to eight more Lost Souls!" Her first Gilford the Lightning screamed in agony as eight dark spheres burst out of his body and flew over to their kin.

"Now, I set two cards face down and summon King Goblin(0/0) in attack mode!" A short and stubby little green creature appeared before him. It sat on a throne, and the lost souls seemed to be circling around it. Kirani narrowed her eyes, knowing he was up to no good.

"King Goblin can't be attacked if I have other demons in play, so he's safe. Also, for each demon in play he gains one thousand attack and defense points. Since I have thirteen his attack and defense is that much!" He laughed at the look of terror in Kirani's eyes. She could only watch as the stubby little creature burst out of his throne and grew into a massive terror with thirteen thousand attack and defense points.

"King Goblin, kill Gilford the Lightning would you?" The now massive demon reached down with its clawed hands and snatched up Gilford the Lightning. The mighty warrior struggled, but each time he slashed his sword against the goblin's hand, it simply rebounded, doing no damage.

"Hold up, I activate my face down card! Lightning Soul prevents me from losing life points whenever a Gilford monster is destroyed in battle. It's a continuous trap, so I'm perfectly safe." King Goblin squeezed, and Gilford's body was crushed. The goblin let the warrior drop, and Kirani could only watch as the monster fell away.

"That's fine. However, I can now activate the continuous magic card To Become Lost. Each turn of my turns you take fifty damage for each Lost Soul in play. Here's the damage and here's another test! Feel your soul slipping away bit by bit!" Kirani couldn't help but scream in pain as she felt something reach into her body and tug at her soul, trying to pry it away from her mortal coil. It was utter agony. (KLP: 1750)

The moment she drew, Taichi was already in action. "Get ready to grant King Goblin more power. DNA Surgery lets me change all monsters in play to a selected type, so your monsters become demons. That adds four thousand more points to my monsters!"

She grimaced as his already enormous monster grew further, and she was also terrified by the changes that her monsters were undergoing. Spikes were jutting out of their joints, and each one now had fangs. Their eyes also glowed red. "You'll pay for doing that to my monsters!"

"Whatever. Open set card, Blood Payment! This permanent trap card will prove to be quite dangerous." He smirked, and simply stood there as his trap revealed itself. On the other hand, nothing happened when it appeared.

"Looks like your trap won't help you quite yet, so I start off with Pot of Greed!" She drew two cards, frowning as a red bead much like blood appeared on the continuous trap of Taichi's.

"I summon Mage of Lightning-Gilford(1600/1300) and instantly sacrifice it to destroy King Goblin!" Her monsters appeared and then instantly formed into lightning and shot forwards to slam into King Goblin. The behemoth roared and exploded into bloody chunks.

"Next is my field magic card, Heart of the Storm! This increases every monster with Gilford in their name that's in play by 400 hundred points!" Electricity surged through her four monsters, and each one gained a boost. The two strongest ones reached thirty-two hundred, while Gilford of Thunder hit twenty-two hundred and Gilford the Swift reached eighteen hundred.

Another red bead appeared on top of Blood Payment, and Kirani began to worry. She didn't know exactly what was happening. "Now I play Rebirth of the Storm to revive Gilford the Lightning(3200/1400)!"

Now her field was full again, and Taichi had no face down cards to stop her attack. Also, since Taichi had no non-token monsters on the field he could defend himself with his Lost Soul tokens. Yet again a red bead appeared on Blood Payment, raising the number to three. _'Something is happening there and I don't like it.'_

"I play the magic card Lightning Strikes Twice! During this turn every monster named Gilford the Lightning has two battle phases. So, each of my five monsters will attack!" Her five monsters slashed through five souls that had jumped in the way, and according to the effect of Demon Blood Taichi gained life points. Kirani was just lucky that King Goblin had no base attack points, or she'd be in trouble. (TLP: 3250)

"Now for that second battle phase I mentioned. Triple Thunderbolt Cut!" Her three identical monsters attacked again, blasting apart three more lost souls. Just like that Taichi's number had been cut down to a mere five, but she knew that number could easily jump up. Not only that, but there were now four beads on Blood Payment. (TLP: 3700)

Kirani grimaced, realizing that Taichi now had more layers to his stone platform. Apparently you gained them when your life points raised past a certain point, just like you lost them if your life points lowered past a certain point.

Seeing that there wasn't much more she could do, Kirani had to end her turn. Taichi immediately drew and smirked with delight. "Ah, this shall do nicely. I sacrifice one Lost Soul in order to summon Thanatos(1900/1800)!"

A creature in black robes and holding a scythe rose up from the ground, and slashed the scythe from side to side. "I can sacrifice monsters to add counters to this creature. So I sacrifice my four remaining Lost Souls to put four counters on it!"

Four glowing beads of light appeared on the side of the scythe. "Also, I can remove two counters to discard the top card of the opponent's deck. So I remove all four in order to destroy two of your cards!"

Thanatos darted forwards and slashed his scythe at her. She stumbled backwards, avoiding the scythe, but nearly fell off the edge of her platform. Catching her breath she stepped back into the middle, and slid the top two cards of her deck into the grave. A cursory look at her deck told her that she still had plenty of cards to work with. _'This isn't so bad...'_

"Before you get so happy and confident, I'd hope you had noticed the three remaining cards in my hand. Now, I set two cards face down and fill up my field completely with magic and trap cards. End turn." Two cards appeared on the edges of his field, alongside Blood Payment, Demon Blood, and DNA Surgery.

Kirani took a deep breath and drew, she noted the card, and then glanced at her cemetery. She knew the cards that were in there, and they wouldn't quite do yet. "I'll take a chance and have Gilford of Thunder attack Thanatos!"

"Pity, I activate Corpse Shield. By taking a demon or undead monster from my deck and placing it in the cemetery I can block any attack. It's continuous as well. Pretty cool right?" Kirani scowled as Taichi slid a card into his grave. Then she motioned to her other monsters that were strong enough.

"Three more attacks, so let's see you lose some more monsters! Each Gilford the Lightning shall attack!" Taichi nodded, and three corpses appeared to take the place of Thanatos. The rotting remains fell into the abyss while Taichi sent his three cards to the graveyard.

"I set one card face down, and end my turn!" She slid the card onto her disk, and then folded her arms to await his move.

"This works just perfectly. I summon Demon of Lost Souls(1300/1300). When he's normal summoned I get to produce two Lost Souls. Each turn another two will be produced, provided I give up three hundred life points. He's a nifty little fellow. Especially since now my continuous card To Become Lost drains you of one hundred life points!" Kirani fell to one knee, clutching her chest as the pain hit her again. (KLP: 1650)

"Wait a second, you have five continuous cards on the field, four traps and one magic...and you've got a face down card. What's going on here?" Taichi smirked, and lifted up his duel disk. A card suddenly shot out of his deck, and he flipped it up to show it to her.

"This monster is known as Kyotsuku, the Lost Soul Guardian(2300/2500). As long as he exists in my deck there is no limit to cards I can play in zones, provided my field doesn't remain barren of Lost Souls for more than two turns. If it does, then all cards over the limit are destroyed. Does that answer your question?" He snickered and slid the card back into his deck, and then shuffled it up.

"Now, if you'd care to pay attention I'll sacrifice my two Lost Souls to Thanatos, and then use his effect to burn away the top card of your deck. Get rid of it." This time Kirani ducked the sweep of Thanatos' scythe, letting it pass harmlessly over her head. Well, not entirely harmlessly since she had to discard.

Taichi cleared his throat, and waved his hand. Kirani took this as a sign and drew to start off her turn. _'This magic card should help me out a bit. It'll put me one step closer to my goal.'_

"I play Foolish Burial, and use its effect to take Berserker Gilford and send him to the cemetery." She found her card and slid it into the cemetery slot. She lifted her head in order to continue her move, but discovered that Blood Payment was shaking violently.

"You've made a big mistake girl. Each time a magic card is played Blood Payment gets a counter on it. When the fifth counter is added it is destroyed, and the player who added it loses the top ten cards of their deck. Since you did that, say goodbye to your top ten cards!" Kirani grimaced as the trap shattered, and she was forced to slip the top ten cards from her deck into the grave.

"I may have made a mistake, but I'm not done yet! My monsters will attack in succession to kill your monsters!" Taichi shrugged and popped open his deck. He fanned it out and plucked free five cards, which he showed to her as demons. Then he slid the five cards into the cemetery and five corpses appeared to block the five attacks.

Kirani had nothing else she could do, so she finished her turn. _'He's planning something with Corpse Shield, I better lay off the attacks for the time being.'_

"I can see it in your eyes, you've come to the realization that attacking me is just helping me. Well, that proves to be something of a problem...but not too great of one. Now is the opportune moment to trigger my face down card, Apocalypse Now! This removes all demons in my cemetery and adds five to the number, then you have to discard that many cards from your deck!" Fourteen cards popped out of his graveyard, and he tossed them off the platform.

Nineteen spirits surged across the field and slammed into Kirani, bowling her over. She slid backwards, but used her foot to stop herself from being pushed over the edge. Then she stood back up, and took nineteen cards off her deck and discarded them. _'That's way too many cards, my deck is just about gone now! If I don't find a way out of this I'm finished even if he doesn't drain my life points!'_

"Now, according to the effect of Demon of Lost Souls I'll pay three hundred life points to produce two Lost Souls(300/300)." Two of the dark orbs appeared above his demon and floated around his field twice. (TLP: 3400)

"I'm sure you'll recognize this card. Seeking the Soul! I destroy a Gilford the Lightning to bring my number of tokens up to ten!" Gilford the Lightning screamed in agony and was ripped apart from the inside out. Eight black spheres emerged and went over to Taichi's side of the field.

"This is just about it, because I activate Demon Reward. This magic card would normally let me draw one card, but since I have a demon on the field I get to draw twice." He added two more cards to his hand, bringing his hand size up to three cards. He seemed oddly satisfied at what he saw there.

"Now, I'll bet you recognize this move. I play Bring on the Night which conceals my field! Then I'll instantly blow it away with Mystical Space Typhoon! Not only do I double the number of Lost Souls I have, but I can destroy two magic or trap cards on your field. There's just one, so that goes!" Her face down card exploded, and then ten more Lost Souls shimmered into view.

"To Become Lost...do your stuff! Drain her of one thousand life points!" Taichi smirked, listening to her screams of agony. It delighted him to hear his prey's suffering, particularly in a situation like this where everything was all win-win. There was no way he could lose. (KLP: 650)

"I'm sure you're still aware, so I sacrifice all twenty to Thanatos and then remove the twenty counters to blast the top ten cards of your deck. How many does that leave by the way?" Kirani groaned and pulled ten cards off, just letting them fall to the bare single layer of her platform. She glanced at her deck to get a count.

"About four or so." Taichi grinned in triumph, and then settled back on his haunches to await he turn. Once she was ready, she would draw and make her move.

"You made a mistake in destroying one of my monsters, because all you did was open up a monster zone that I needed. You see, I've been waiting to summon this creature and unleash his effect. First, I have to remove three monsters with 'Gilford' in their name from the cemetery!" She picked up three cards, flashing a Wise One Gilford, Berserker Gilford, and Gilford of Thunder to Taichi.

"Now, I summon this level ten monster! Gilford, Lord of the Storm(2800/1400)! And the moment he's special summoned by his effect I destroy every card on both player's fields and in both player's hands except for himself!" The monster was identical to Gilford the Lightning, only he had gold armor and his sword had a ruby capped at the bottom.

"Storm of Destruction!" The Lord of the Storm raises his blade up high, and lightning bolts began to streak out from the darkness. Soon thousands of bolts were slamming down on the field, making it so bright that neither player could see. When the light faded, only he stood on the field.

"Gilford, Lord of the Storm...it's time. Attack Taichi directly with Stormblade Cut!" Lord of the Storm slashed his sword horizontally, and an enormous bolt of lightning crashed down on Taichi from above. Individuals smaller bolts shrieked out from the sword and connected with the partially melted teenage boy. (TLP: 600)

With nothing more that she could do, Kirani's turn was over. She waited for the light to clear, and when it did she discovered that Taichi was still alive, standing on his single layer. His skin was gone, and he looked like a corpse himself. But there was a sick grin on his face. "Impressive maneuver, looks like you didn't have to top deck to turn it around. Of course you forget...I can top deck just as well as any of you fools!"

He held his brand new card up, and shoved it into his duel disk. "I hope you're ready to surrender, because I activate Seeking the Soul! I'll destroy Gilford, Lord of the Storm, and produce ten Lost Souls!" Her powerful warrior was blown apart, and ten spheres shot out from his stomach. Defeated, he collapsed into the abyss.

"Do you surrender?" Kirani clenched her fists tight, knowing that there was absolutely nothing that she could do. No hand, no field, two cards left in her deck, and no cards that she could activate from the cemetery. All of her options had been exhausted.

"No. I may not be able to win, but I will not surrender. I'm not the kind of person to just give up even when I know what awaits me. So I'll accept what's going to come and stand strong." There was a moment of silence, and then Taichi smirked.

"It's almost a pity, I was hoping you wouldn't say that. But even I have to follow these rules when the Trials are involved. Plus I dislike Eikyuu just as much as the rest of you. So..." He raised his right arm...and placed it over his deck.

"I...I don't understand. Why would you surrender?" Taichi grinned and shrugged his shoulders, obviously amused.

"Just because the Trial is a duel doesn't mean the only way to complete the Trial is to win. Of course you aren't allowed to pass this on to your friends, but I'll let you in on the secret of the Trials. You have to prove your strength of mind, body, and spirit. By dueling so well you proved your mind's strength, by lasting in a Darkness Game you proved your body's, and by refusing to surrender you proved the strength of your spirit. So you pass the Trial."

Kirani stared at him in shock, barely noticing that the setting of the blimp had just returned, and they were no longer in the darkness. "Congratulations Kirani, you've passed the test. But don't think I didn't get anything out of this, because each person who is involved in the Trials in testing those as part of it gain something that they desire. And I? I've gained a brand new body, completely of my own. See you later, I guarantee it!"

She grimaced as he started laughing, and faded away into the shadows. Behind her the doors to the elevator opened, and she knew it was time to go. She shook her head in annoyance and entered the elevator, which promptly closed and started moving down. "Why is it that the evil psychopaths bent on destroying the universe don't stay dead?"

There was no answer.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: That might just be what you call 'foreshadowing'. Or it might not be. You never know!

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Good thing I'm getting this good votes on Hikari's deck. Makes her happy.

The White Mage: All these questions(well a few) to be answered on the next episode of...well you get it.

WolfGeneral: Thanks on each account, and thanks for Rise of the Machines. It was perfect for that guy.

VoidTemplar: Oooo, another vote of confidence in Hikari's deck. She's happier now.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Kirani: Wise One Gilford, Enter the Storm, Squall Barrier, Gilford of Thunder, Storm Barrier, Tri-Thunder Shield, Gilford the Swift, Lightning Soul, Mage of Lightning-Gilford, Heart of the Storm, Rebirth of the Storm, Lightning Strikes Twice, Gilford-Lord of the Storm

Taichi: Demon Blood, Appearance of Lost Souls, Hellish Accountant, Seeking the Soul, To Become Lost, Blood Payment(by Vaurnut), Thanatos, Corpse Shield, Demon of Lost Souls, Kyotsuku the Lost Soul Guardian, Apocalypse Now, Demon Reward, Bring on the Night


	36. The Burden of Guilt

Author's Notes: Next on the list is Takuya Shinomori, AKA Kensai.

_**Chapter Thirty-Five: The Burden of Guilt**_

In Madison Square Gardens, on top of the scoreboard, a body was moving. "I've got a huge headache. Transference is a real pain in the ass, but I suppose I should consider myself lucky to have had a body so close at hand."

The body of Kai Kaethen let out a groan and raised its arms of its head, stretching and cracking its back. "After all that time stuck without a body, to actually have realm form again is magnificent. Especially considering the old form I was able to take. This is quite an improvement."

He smirked in a very uncharacteristic manner for Kai. However, this wasn't Kai at all. At the same time, beside the body, another one was moving. "You've got to be joking? I wouldn't have thought she would know this technique."

The body of Autumn Kurai sat up and shook her head to clear it of cobwebs. "Why wouldn't I brother? Stuck together for millennia and you think I wouldn't know every trick that you do? I feel bad using Autumn's body without her permission though."

Her companion snorted and stood up, looking around the arena. The woman did the same. "AB, you're really stupid you know that? Always taking things so cautiously. You have to take a risk occasionally to get things done. Like this for instance!"

With that he hurled himself off the scoreboard, doing flips in the air as he hurtled towards the ground. At the last second he turned over and landed feet first, shaking and cracking the floor beneath him. "A perfect ten landing if I do say so myself."

Seconds later the body of Autumn landed gracefully beside him, making little impact. "You're always very crude and reckless Misuno, you never take things seriously. That's why we never really got along."

"Whatever. Now that I've got a body again I think I'll go find the nearest whore house and get this body laid. It needs it, and so do I." He smirked, cracking his neck and stretching his shoulders to get the kinks out. After all, the body he was using had been dead for about six hours now.

AB scowled and punched her brother on the arm. "Don't be so callous. Eikyuu still needs to be dealt with, so don't do anything stupid until we've figured out how to take care of him."

"Nobody is taking care of Great Lord Eikyuu, especially not a couple of resurrected second rate spirits such as yourselves!" The two siblings turned, and found themselves facing off against two figures in scarlet body suits with black stripes on the shoulders. One was a woman with strawberry blonde hair, and the other was a man whose only distinctive feature was the crazed look in his eyes and a red round nose that looked fake.

Misuno snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "And who are you two, some of Eikyuu's pathetic little lapdogs?"

The woman smirked and raised her right arm, and a black duel disk activated on it. The man did the same, flipping out his own black duel disk. "We are two of Eikyuu's top soldiers! I am Rani and this is Ken, and we'll take your souls for Eikyuu!" (RLP: 4000, KLP: 4000)

The two siblings glanced at each other, and then placed their hands above their decks. Waves of energy flowed into the decks, and then they too activated their duel disks and stepped out in front of the two other duelists. "We'll crush you like you were nothing, and do it using decks forged from our souls." (ALP: 4000, MLP: 4000)

Rani drew six cards, and immediately began She took one card from her hand and activated it. "My magic card Quick-Attack Knights gives me three Quick-Attack Knight Tokens(1000/1000) each of whom may attack on the first turn! So they attack the arrogant man first!"

Three lightly armored knights appeared and immediately rushed forward to slash Misuno across the chest with their blades. Then they retreated back to her side of the field. "You certainly are an irritating duelist, dealing damage like that on the first turn. But tokens won't avail you against me." (MLP: 1000)

She smirked and slid one card on her disk, allowing Misuno to start his own turn. "I'll set a monster in defense mode, and two cards face down. Basic move right? So that's all." He smirked in a cocky fashion at seeing his cards appear in front of him.

Ken drew, and began to cackle. "I'll start this duel off by summoning Saggi the Dark Clown(600/1500) in attack mode. Next I activate Clown Trick! I can copy the effect of one creature on the field and give it to a clown, so I allow Saggi to attack on this turn! Attack the girl's life points!"

Misuno frowned and snapped his fingers. Instantly one of his face down cards flipped up. "I'm not overly fond of my sister, but nobody gets to hurt her other than me. So I'll use my trap card Mirror Force and destroy each of your pathetic monsters."

Rani scowled at Ken as their four monsters were blown away. She was particularly annoyed because her Quick-Attack Knights had another special ability that worked when destroyed in battle, but now their effect was worthless. "Nice going clown boy!"

"Well excuse me. I set one card face down, and end my turn." He blew her a raspberry, which Rani promptly ignored. At the same time AB was drawing her own card, and deciding on what move to make.

"I summon Saturn Knight(1600/1400) in attack mode. Once per turn I can forego its attack to deal half its attack power in damage to the opponent. But by equipping it with Saturn Blade I can allow it to do that twice and increase its attack by four hundred. Each of you takes one thousand damage." A knight in shining white armor and the symbol for Saturn on its chest plate appeared, and slammed its blade onto each other duelist. (RLP: 3000, KLP: 3000)

She set two cards face down, and then finished her turn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The gang now stood in front of a curtain and Takuya had just stepped up to it. Somehow he knew deep in his heart that this was his Trial. This was what he would have to face. "It's time for me to face the music."

He stepped through, and the curtain vanished behind him. He looked around, and discovered that he was standing on the far edge of a mat with a white circle drawn inside of it. This was a competition mat used for martial arts competitions. "Interesting."

"Of course it's interesting. After all, how often do you get a chance to face off with your choices in the ring." Takuya's eyes snapped up to the other end of the ring, and found someone walking in. Wearing a jet black gi with a silver belt looped around it was none other than himself.

"You're telling me that my Trial is to face another version of myself? So what? Do we beat each other up, or do we duel?" He slid into a fighting stance, fists up and at the ready. His other self smirked confidently and raised his left arm which had a regular duel disk on it.

"We duel. In this battle you'll see what you might have been had you made choices. You'll have to see if you can beat the alternative. And don't even bother asking if I'm really you or not, because that's something you won't be finding out anytime soon." His duel disk clicked into position and he held up a hand of six cards.

Takuya grimaced and pressed a button on his Duel Pod. The pod section slid out, and then extended. The rest of the disk portion slid into place and his Duel Pod was complete. "Fine. I'll face you, and I have no intention of losing. I'm guessing you'll be going by Kensai, right?" (TLP: 4000)

"That's right. Kensai is who I am, and I'll be happy to prove your weakness. A Poker Deck? They may be warriors, but they aren't true warriors, and neither are you. I'm the warrior of the two of us, and that's why I'll win!" (KLP: 4000)

He looked over his hand, and then decided on a play to make. "Here we go. I set a monster in defense mode. That's all." A single horizontal card was his defense, but Takuya knew that this was either a bluff or his other self had something planned.

"You may be going defensive, but I think I'll go on the attack right off the bat! Seven(1650/1450) in attack mode! I grab a 7 from my deck and then I attack your face down monster!" The court knight unsheathed his blade and then threw it straight at Kensai's monster. It appeared, revealing a dark robed figure with blue fiery arms and a jagged sword in one hand.

"You flipped Night Assailant(200/500) whose effect lets me destroy Seven! Night Assailant, Deathstroke Blade!" The robed creature darted across the ring and slammed its blade into Seven's chest. The handsome knight gurgled as blood trickled out of his mouth and from the wound. Slowly he collapsed...but he didn't disappear. Night Assailant on the other hand faded away.

"Our monsters are pretty real in this duel, so the corpse will remain. My monster was more of a phantom anyways, so it faded away. You done?" Takuya scowled and slid a card onto his duel disk. A 7 appeared above him, and then he sat back to await the next move.

Kensai smirked and threw a new card on his duel disk. "You're confident, but stupid! Either that or you just don't have any magic or trap cards to stop me. So, D.D. Warrior Lady(1500/1600) in attack mode! Attack him directly!"

A blonde girl in black leather armor with an energy sword appeared and then darted straight for Takuya. The dark haired duelist dodged the slash partially, but it cut across the edge of his ribs, burning a line across him. "It's more real than I thought." (TLP: 2500)

"Are you saying that you left your field open so that I'd attack you just so you could learn how real the monsters are? Cocky of you, and it'll cost you. I set one card face down and end my turn!" The dimensional warrior woman jumped into the air and landed in front of Kensai. Then she flashed Takuya a wink.

"Just watch, I know exactly what I'm doing. For instance...I play Monster Reborn on Seven, instantly bringing a 7 into my hand! I activate that 7!" A second burning 7 appeared next to the first, each one above the Seven that was on Takuya's field.

"Now I activate Monster Relief! This returns one monster on my field to my hand, and then I shuffle my deck and draw a new hand of the same size. So, I return Seven to my hand and draw six new cards." He placed the six cards of his hand into his Duel Pod, which automatically shuffled them up. Then he drew the cards to replace them.

"Just like I thought, I've been rewarded! For my normal summon this turn I bring out Seven(1650/1450) and add the final 7 to my hand! Next I activate it, and destroy all three to gain twenty-one hundred life points and draw three cards!" The glowing 7s vanished and coins rained down on Takuya. He grabbed three new cards, bringing his hand size up to eight. (TLP: 4600)

"Now I activate Poker! This field magic card prevents my poker monsters from dying in battle and lets me forfeit my battle phase to add a game card to my hand. So get ready, Seven attacks D.D. Warrior Lady!" The handsome knight charged the lady and slashed his sword across her ribs. Blood poured out, and she collapsed on the ground. (KLP: 3850)

"I choose not to activate her effect. You done yet?" Takuya nodded and slid two cards from his hand onto his Duel Pod. The two cards materialized and he was all set for anything his other self could throw at him.

"Good for you, not that it matters. Go set card, Giant Trunade!" A swirling blast of wind lifted up both of Takuya's set cards and his field card and blew them back to his hand. That left just the handsome poker monster to defend Takuya's life points.

"And that's the game. I remove D.D. Warrior Lady and Night Assailant in the cemetery from the grave to summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500) in attack mode!" Kensai smirked as his ultimate warrior descended from above, holding its sword at its side and staring sternly at its master's alternate self.

"I attack Seven!" The soldier swept his blade horizontally, and a wave of shimmering energy rocketed across the mat. The energy wave collided with the warrior who screamed as his flesh was burned away. Soon a skinless corpse fell to the ground. (TLP: 3250)

"Black Luster Soldier...attack him directly!" Takuya braced himself as the energy swept towards him. Soon it overwhelmed him, flowing over his body, scorching his flesh. When the attack ended, he collapsed face first against the ground. (TLP: 250)

"I think that's the game."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rani drew and pointed to her face down card. "Go, Gale of Hatred! This fills my field up with Hateful Gale Warrior Tokens(500/500) in defense mode!" Five knights with armor that seemed to flow like the wind stood in front of her with shields raised to defend themselves.

"I set one card face down, and then I activate the continuous magic card Line of Battle. Whenever a warrior token is destroyed in battle I can create a clone token of the monster that destroyed it. Until then...end turn." She smirked and folded her arms, confident in her strategy.

Misuno frowned, not quite happy at how confident she seemed. Her tokens probably had a dangerous effect. "I'll sacrifice my face down Sangan(1000/600) to summon a monster face down!" A three-eyed furball briefly appeared before it was replaced by a dark shadow on the ground.

"Next I get to search my deck for a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points. Now, I attack a Hateful Gale Warrior with my face down monster!" The shadow on his field spread, and tentacles of shadow reached up from underneath one of the warriors and dragged it under.

"Impossible! You set your monster in face down defense mode, so it couldn't have attacked!" Misuno smirked and shook his finger back and forth as if he were taunting a little child.

"My creature is a 'shadow' sub-type monster. All creatures of this sub-type can be played in face-up defense mode. I don't even have to reveal my creature's name or ability to you, just know that it negates any effects involved when it destroys a monster. So even your Line of Battle's effect is useless." Rani grimaced and realized that her strategy was pointless with that monster's ability in play.

"Now, I suppose I'll play Surprise Attack From the Darkness. Now my face down monster will attack another one of your pathetic tokens!" Shadow tentacles once again pulled a token into the darkness, leaving nothing for anyone to see.

Ken glanced at his newest card, then added it to his hand. He took another card and slapped it down onto his duel disk. "Let's give a warm welcome for the mighty Peten the Dark Clown(500/1200) in attack mode! Then I play Pie In The Face! This lets me clown attack an opposing player directly, and then if successful that player must discard their hand!"

A dark clad clown appeared and immediately held up a pie. It threw the pie straight at Misuno, who got creamed by it. He snarled and wiped the cream out his eyes, glaring angrily at the clown and its user as he shoved his hand into his graveyard. "You'll pay for that clown boy!" (MLP: 500)

"Most certainly I will, but for now I activate my face down card! Deck Destruction Virus of Death! By sacrificing my Peten I'll destroy every monster in your deck with fifteen hundred or more attack points. Your stupid face down monster is safe though, since only face ups would be affected." Misuno scowled and shoved a large number of cards into his graveyard.

"Now I remove Peten from the grave to special summon another Peten in defense mode! Finally I set one card face down and end my turn." He snickered at seeing the look on Misuno's face, who appeared furious that all of his strong monsters had been defeated and he was left with just five hundred more life points.

AB drew, but immediately motioned to her Saturn Knight. "I'll activate my monster's effect and forfeit its battle phase to deal one thousand damage to each of you." Saturn Knight raised its blade and began to gather energy into it. It slashed and sent two beams at her opponent's.

Rani smirked and depressed a button on her disk, causing her set card to flip up. "Go, Divine Wrath! This counter trap lets me negate the activation of an effect and destroy the monster at a cost of one card from my hand!" She slid a card into her grave, laughing as energy shot down from the sky and blew away Saturn Knight.

"I'm okay with that. I summon Spark Fighter(1300/700). According to its effect I can forfeit its attack for the turn to deal its defense in damage to the opposing player. So I'll just give up its attack and deal Rani seven hundred damage." Her monster looked like a regular street fighter, only its boxing gloves were sparking with electricity. It punched once, and a jolt of energy slammed into Rani. (RLP: 2300)

"End Turn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kensai's eyes narrowed as his opponent placed his arms under his body and began to push. Slowly his body began to rise off the ground, looking far more than half dead. _'He's getting back up...'_

Takuya staggered to his feet, and then clenched his fists together. The area around him seemed to darken and his skin began to stitch itself back up. In a minute's time he looked exactly as he had just minutes earlier, perfectly healthy. "I don't that's game at all."

'_He surpassed the pain and unleashed the power granted to him as Knight of Darkness! Meaning he has fully accepted his own actions...could it be that he's succeeded already?'_ Kensai took a slight step backwards as Takuya recovered his cards and shot a cold glare his way.

"You have passed the Trial. Which means I'm done." He reached for his duel disk, but was stopped when a hand grabbed his wrist. He blinked and looked up, finding Takuya standing in front of him, hand on his wrist.

"I don't care if you say I've passed this Trial or not. I succeed only when I've won. So this duel isn't over until it's over." Kensai blinked...and then slowly nodded. Takuya released his hand and walked back to the other side of the ring, and then turned back around. Kensai smiled slightly and placed one card into his duel disk, ending his turn.

"Now, I'll activate Poker once more! Then I summon Knight on Six(400/100) in attack mode!" A warrior in light chain mail appeared, holding a dagger in one hand. A shield and a short sword were strapped over his back.

"That small fry monster can't hurt my mighty Envoy. It can't even touch it." Takuya countered Kensai's smirk with one of his own, and then pointed at Kensai.

"He can't hurt Black Luster Soldier, but he can hurt you. Knight on Six, use your special ability and attack him directly!" Kensai grunted in pain as before he even knew what was happening the knight had closed the gap and planted its fist in his stomach. He sucked it up, and returned to his full upright position. (KLP: 3450)

"Now, as I said last turn, I set two cards face down on the field. End Turn!" His opponent frowned, not sure exactly what he was up to. It seemed like the classic move of throwing out a weak monster in attack mode to fake a bluff or to force an attack, and it was hard to know which it might be.

"Very well, I activate my magic card Foolish Burial! I'll send Strike Ninja(1700/1200) to the cemetery using its effect." A card popped out of his duel disk, and he caught it. Then in one swift motion he slid it into the graveyard.

"Black Luster Soldier, attack his monster with Chaos Blade!" The mighty envoy raised his weapon and then stabbed it into the earth. Energy erupted and shot across the ring, ripping up the mat as it went. The minimally armored knight stood his ground, unafraid of impending doom.

"Go, Jack of all Trades! I'll sacrifice Knight on Six to summon Jack's Knight(1900/1000) into play. Thanks to that effect I get to prevent you from having battle phases as long as these two are in play together." The little knight shattered, and was replaced by a tall blonde knight with partially blue armor. The energy that had been rushing in that direction vanished.

"I see, so I can't have a battle phase while they're in play together. Then since I wasn't really able to make an attack, I'll just finish off your puny defense here and now. Black Luster Soldier, remove Jack's Knight from the game!" The armored soldier raised his left hand and snapped his gauntleted fingers. The other knight blinked out of existence.

"That's fine, but since you already used up your attack I'm still safe for this turn. That's all that I needed." He reached down to his Duel Pod and picked up the Jack's Knight card. He slid it into a small pocket of his outfit and then folded his arms to await the end of his opposing self's turn.

"I have no magic or trap cards to set this turn, so I guess I'll just end there." Takuya nodded, and then picked up the top card of his deck and placed it in his hand. He now had five cards as opposed to his other self's three.

"I summon Queen's Knight(1500/1600) in defense mode. That's all." The female knight in red now appeared, making it his only defense aside from a single card that was face down. Kensai smirked and snatched a card off his own deck to continue the duel.

"Well now, this is just perfect. I see no reason to summon, so first I'll summon Marauding Captain(1200/400) to the field!" A blonde warrior with twin blades jumped out of his card, sliding to a stop next to his far more powerful warrior.

"As you know his effect lets me special summon another level four monster from my hand. So I summon Command Knight(1200/1900) in attack mode!" A female knight with a winged helmet stepped up next to Marauding Captain. She frowned at the uncouth warrior and raised her sword at the ready.

"Although it wasn't necessary to summon them this way, I felt no need not to. Now I activate Polymerization and fuse them together. Together the marauder and the commander create Marauding Commander(2400/2300) whose effect raises the attack power of all warriors in play by six hundred!" The warrior was Marauding Captain, only wearing similar armor to the Command Knight.

"Just like Marauding Captain this creature must be attacked first if there are other warriors in play. Since your Poker field card makes your poker monsters immune to battle my Black Luster Soldier will give up its attack for the turn to remove Queen's Knight from the game." Once again the soldier snapped his fingers, and this time it was Queen's Knight who disappeared.

"Marauding Commander(3000/2300), attack Takuya directly!" Takuya remained focused as the opposing monster raised its two weapons and charged directly at him. But at the last moment a large monster in seamless white armor appeared and blocked the first strike with its forearm.

"My trap card Ace of Spades allowed me to summon Ace's Knight(2400/1500) when you attacked. Next it allows me to destroy all magic and trap cards on your field!" Kensai grimaced as his single set card was blown into tiny little particles.

"That's all well and good, but your monster's defense is half mine's attack. So Marauding Commander will finish the job he started and cut your creature in half!" Marauding Commander raised the second blade and slashed it across Ace's Knight's ribs. The knight fell to his knees, and then collapsed on the ring along with the other corpses on the field.

Takuya drew, and then immediately threw his new card onto the field. A monster in simple armor decked out with gold braids and symbols of each suit of cards now stood in front of him. He held a large hammer in both hands and had a bishop's hat on his head. "This is Nine Card Don(1300/0). Attacking with him would be fruitless, so I activate his effect. By sacrificing him and remove him from the game I deal his attack to you in damage!"

The don slammed his hammer into the ring, and the resulting shockwaves blew Kensai off his feet. Then the don vanished, leaving Takuya's field empty. "I set one card face down, and end my turn." (KLP: 2150)

Kensai smirked and just like Takuya before him threw his new card into play. "Freed the Brave Wanderer(2300/1200) in attack mode with the boost from Marauding Commander! Now, Freed attacks directly!"

"I activate Weakening of Attack, which negates the attack and ends the battle phase." A ripple of energy blocked the strike, and Freed returned to Kensai's field. The duelist nodded, passing the turn on to Takuya.

"Here's a draw for you. Go, Brain Control! I'll seize control of Marauding Commander since it must be targeted first. Next I summon Deuce's Knight(1200/1200) who gains the six hundred point boost in place of your monsters!" The marauder moved over to Takuya's field, and then was joined by a feminine knight in green armor.

"Deuce's Knight, attack and destroy Freed!" The female knight plucked the rose out from behind her ear and hurled it straight at Freed. The rose stuck into the other warrior's eye, and he fell like a rock. (KLP: 2050)

"Marauding Commander, attack Black Luster Soldier! Suicide yourself into him!" The two monsters rushed in to meet their fates, and like a scene out of a Kurosawa film they blurred past each other and landed on one knee. Then they both collapsed and remained that way.

"End Turn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rani smirked and slammed her newest card down onto her duel disk. "I sacrifice a Hateful Gale Warrior to summon General of the Blue Legion(2200/1800)!" A towering warrior in blue armor with a sash along his chest appeared, holding a long spear in his right hand.

"Each turn my General produces a Blue Legion token(500/500) and while he's in play each Blue Legion token gains seven hundred attack points!" A regular sized soldier in solid blue armor appeared, and then his stats raised as the General patted him on the shoulder.

"Next I play The Allied Forces, which raises each of my warriors on the field by two hundred points for each other warrior or spellcaster on my field. Since I have five warriors, that means each of my monsters gain one thousand attack points!" Her permanent card appeared, and then the stats of her monsters started to rise.

_General(3200/1800), Blue Legion(2200/500), Hateful Gale Warriors(1500/500)_

"I attack Spark Soldier with a Hateful Gale Warrior! Destroy her pathetic monster!" The wind armored creature slashed his sword and a fierce blast of wind rushed across the field. Suddenly AB's set card flipped up and the blast was reflected and light struck each of her monster's.

"My trap card Radiant Burst not only negates your attack but it ends the battle phase and drains one hundred attack points from each of your monsters. That attack total is then deducted from your life points!" Rani scowled as each of her monster's weakened slightly, and a single beam of light struck her in the chest, reducing her life points. (RLP: 1800)

Misuno smirked when he saw that her turn was over, and immediately drew. His smirk broadened at whatever he saw, and he quickly placed it face down. "That monster in defense mode. Next I attack one of your pathetic tokens with my face down monster!"

The shadows leapt up from beneath a Hateful Gale Warrior, and dragged it down and out of sight. As soon as it was gone each of the other warrior's lost two hundred attack points, further weakening them. "I suppose now you get to see the strength of my creature don't you?" (RLP: 900)

Something about the way he said it made Rani frown, but she had no idea why. For now she simply knew whatever his shadow creature was it had twenty-three hundred attack points. "Now, I suppose I end my turn."

Ken was up next, and he happily played his own new card. "I sacrifice my Peten the Dark Clown for Batchi the Slightly Bruised Clown(2500/100)! Now I remove Peten from the grave to summon the final Peten in defense mode!" Now the clown duelist had a Peten crouched in defense, along with a clown whose make-up was half white and half purple.

"Batchi the Slightly Bruised Clown with severely bruise whatever monster you have hidden there! Kill!" The clown cackled and jumped onto the living shadow that resided on Misuno's side of the field. It grabbed the flower on its lapel and squirted what appeared to be acid out of it. However its cackling faded as tendrils of shadow wrapped along its legs and dragged it under. Soon the shadow was also gone.

"Fool! Allow me to explain my monster to you! Gorgotha(1900/1900) is a level six monster who as you know negates any effect involved with a monster that it destroys. Also, when it destroys a monster it gains two hundred points. So while it had twenty-three hundred during its last attack, it had twenty-five hundred during this one! You wasted your monster!" Misuno threw back his head and began to laugh.

Ken pouted and motioned to his face down card. "I'm the clown, so I'm supposed to do the laughing. Go, Deck Destruction Virus! This continuous trap activates whenever you destroy a dark type monster in battle! You have to lose the top ten cards of your deck!" Misuno nodded and ditched his top ten cards, not fazed at facing such an extremely rare card.

Now AB drew and slowly placed the new card onto her duel disk. "I set a monster in defense mode. Now I forfeit my battle phase to have Spark Fighter deal you its defense in damage!" Rani grimaced as the electric punch struck her jaw, knocking her back several steps and dropping her within an inch of defeat. (RLP: 200)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kensai smirked and snapped a card off his deck and then dropped it into his disk. "Go, Burn-Up Knight(1400/1200)! This monster is perfect for the situation, and he'll trash Deuce's Knight!"

A soldier armored in red raised his fists and they were suddenly engulfed in flame. He charged forwards and socked Deuce's Knight in the jaw, knocking her backwards several steps. Takuya grimaced as his life points fell, but remained calm. "Remember, as long as Poker is in play my poker monsters can't be destroyed in battle." (TLP: 50)

"I really don't care about that. When Burn-Up Knight deals battle damage I get to draw one card from my deck and add a monster from my deck to my hand. That monster cannot be summoned during this turn." He smirked and folded his arms, indicating that he was done for the time being.

'_I know exactly which card he's taken, so I know exactly how to counter.'_ He kept his face neutral, and grabbed one of the three cards in his hand and slapped it down.

"I sacrifice Deuce's Knight for Jack's Knight(1900/1000). Now, Jack's Knight will finish off Burn-Up Knight!" His level five monster took one slice at Burn-Up Knight and decapitated the weaker monster. It fell to the floor of the ring, lifeless and headless. (KLP: 1550)

"When Burn-Up Knight is destroyed I get to draw one more card from my deck. So thanks to you I now have four cards." He snapped another one off his deck and stood, waiting for whatever remaining move that Takuya had to make.

"I'll set one card face down. Let's see what you've got!" The card appeared face down, and then in response to its appearance Kensai drew, giving him five cards. But it was just one card in his hand that mattered.

"I activate Magical Well. This lets me place one magic card from my deck to my hand, but that card can't be activated this turn." He slid his other magic card into the graveyard, and then searched through his deck to find the one card he wanted. He held it up, and then added it to his hand. Finally he reached for the monster that he had gotten using Burn-Up Knight.

"I remove Freed the Brave Wanderer and Strike Ninja from the grave to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End(3000/2500)!" An enormous dragon formed, one at least as big as the ring. It stood behind Kensai and roared ferociously, shaking its mane of fiery hair. Its very foot steps shook the room they were in.

"Now you know what comes next. I give up one thousand life points in order to activate its effect. Apocalyptic Eruption!" The dragon roared, and energy began seeping out of its body. Finally the energy became to much to hold in, and it burst free. The energy swept over the entire field, covering it in chaotic energies that burned away everything in its path. (KLP: 550)

The field cleared, and both duelists were standing. They appeared a little worse for wear, but otherwise they were fine. Kensai had known better than to allow his own dragon to burn them both to death. "The card I chose with Magical Well was Repayment of Losses. Which means I now get to draw one new card. Not that it matters since you're finished."

Takuya shook his head, and popped a card out of his cemetery. "During my last turn I was certain you had chosen the Chaos Emperor Dragon so I used Poker's effect and instead of drawing I placed a card pertaining to a card game into my hand. I chose Cheating Uno, which I discarded to save myself from the damage of your dragon. This duel is still on."

Kensai scowled and picked up the top card of his deck. He glanced at it once and then slid it onto his duel disk. "That's just fine with me. End turn!"

The poker using duelist glanced briefly at his new card and frowned. Finally he placed it face down, and watched as the holographic version appeared in front of him. "It's going to come down to speed I think. The faster of us the better, so I end my turn."

His opponent nodded and drew, then he motioned to his face down card. "Go, Reckless Greed! I'll use it's effect to draw two new cards at the cost of my next two draw phases!" He pulled two new cards off his deck, giving him three cards total.

"It won't help. I told you, it comes down to speed. Quite literally in fact, as my face down card is a trap known as Speed! Each of us now draws the top card of our decks and discards it. The first player to complete this task gains one thousand life points, while the losing player takes one thousand damage. In other words, the fastest player does win." Kensai nodded and lowered his hand to his deck, placing two fingers on the top card. Takuya followed suit.

"DRAW!" Each of them snapped the cards up in essentially the same instant, and moved them towards their graves. "DISCARD!" The cards slid into their graveyards at also what seemed to be precisely the same second. Now all they could do was wait.

Their duel disks whirred, and a jet of red flame exploded out of Takuya's deck and straight at Kensai. At the same time a jet of blue flame shot from Kensai's graveyard and aimed at Takuya. The flames hit at the same moment, and each player staggered backwards. "Blue is...which then?"

Takuya closed his eyes, and a smile slowly crossed his features. Kensai frowned and lowered his head. "I understand. Excellent duel, and I'm glad to see you've come so far since you were me. Relying just on powerful cards to win your duels...that's no way to become a true winner. Congratulations." (TLP: 1050, KLP: 0)

The sound of a curtain parting brought Takuya's attention behind him, where he saw the curtain that he had walked through now back again. He looked over his shoulder, and discovered his other self was gone. He smiled and walked towards the curtain. "I bet the others will never believe that I faced an alternate version of myself. How often does that happen after all?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: As of the end of this chapter I have fully broken the length of my previous story. What Was, What Is, and What Shall Be was 498.5 pages long. At current length Shadowed Light of My Heart is 502 pages long. And it's still not done yet.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Possibly, but I'm working on storyline here so certain things have to happen.

The White Mage: Nope, that's not what the sacrifices are for. Good guess though.

WolfGeneral: Now it leaves the mighty Dalin. Takuya only faced Azure to allow them to take the Trials.

VoidTemplar: Oh no, the dark spirit is just as cruel as usual. And you'll see who Dalin's opponent is next chapter.

Time Mage: 1. You try getting a duelist who always has 7 cards in hand, it's a pain in the ass. 2. Hikari's deck spawns from a conversation with Nick actually. 3. Dark Spirit's Return. 4. That's exactly what the Dark Spirit said, he does it too. And it's all the heroes who do it, not just Kirani and Drake. 5. When Drake released Eikyuu the Heart of Balance went to Eikyuu. When Kai died the Heart of Soul was up for grabs so Eikyuu snatched it, essentially how he got all the others. Light and Dark remained with Drake. 6. Soul, Balance, Present, Past, Future, Suffering, Hatred, Power, Courage, and Friendship. Count em again, that's ten. 7. Can't tell you what the ritual is quite yet.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Rani: Quick Attack Knights, Gale of Hatred, Line of Battle, General of the Blue Legion

Ken: Clown Trick, Pie in the Face, Batchi the Slightly Bruised Clown

Misuno: Gorgotha

AB: Saturn Knight, Saturn Blade, Spark Fighter, Radiant Burst

Takuya: Seven, Poker, Knight on Six, Jack of all Trades, Ace of Spades, Ace's Knight, Nine Card Don, Weakening of Attack, Deuce's Knight, Cheating Uno, Speed

Kensai: Marauding Commander, Burn-Up Knight, Magical Well, Repayment of Losses


	37. The Long Awaited Challenge

Author's Notes: Next up, the mighty Dalin Imaki Sumatin

_**Chapter Thirty-Six: The Long Awaited Challenge**_

"_Batchi the Slightly Bruised Clown will severely bruise whatever monster you have hidden there! Kill!" The clown cackled and jumped onto the living shadow that resided on Misuno's side of the field. It grabbed the flower on its lapel and squirted what appeared to be acid out of it. However its cackling faded as tendrils of shadow wrapped along its legs and dragged it under. Soon the shadow was also gone._

"_Fool! Allow me to explain my monster to you! Gorgotha(1900/1900) is a level six monster who as you know negates any effect involved with a monster that it destroys. Also, when it destroys a monster it gains two hundred points. So while it had twenty-three hundred during its last attack, it had twenty-five hundred during this one! You wasted your monster!" Misuno threw back his head and began to laugh._

_Ken pouted and motioned to his face down card. "I'm the clown, so I'm supposed to do the laughing. Go, Deck Destruction Virus! This continuous trap activates whenever you destroy a dark type monster in battle! You have to lose the top ten cards of your deck!" Misuno nodded and ditched his top ten cards, not fazed at facing such an extremely rare card._

_Now AB drew and slowly placed the new card onto her duel disk. "I set a monster in defense mode. Now I forfeit my battle phase to have Spark Fighter deal you its defense in damage!" Rani grimaced as the electric punch struck her jaw, knocking her back several steps and dropping her within an inch of defeat. (RLP: 200)_

The scowling Rani held her newest card up proudly, displaying a magic card with a green smiling jar on it. "Pot of Greed, so now I've got two more cards!"

She smirked at whatever she saw, and pressed a button on her disk. A side panel slid open and she placed the newest card into it. "I play Joyful Token Club! This field magic card will allow me to have tokens in any zones I so choose!"

"Next, General of the Blue Legion(2900/1800) will create a new Blue Legion token(2200/500) which boosts all the other monsters by two hundred points. Now, Card of Demise!" She snapped four more cards off her deck, and gleefully smiled at her new hand.

"I'll set one card face down, and then I'll activate The Blue Legion! For every card I discard I can produce one Blue Legion token. So I'll discard two to fill up my last two available zones!" Two more blue armored soldiers appeared, giving her a total of seven monsters, with only one of them being a non-token.

_General(3500/1800), Blue Legion1(2500/500), Blue Legions(2600/500), Hateful Gale Warriors(1900/500)_

"Now a Hateful Gale Warrior will crush Spark Fighter!" A blast of wind ripped apart the defense mode monster, but AB's life points remained untouched.

"The face down monster is next!" Another blast of wind shot out, and a diamond shaped monsters was briefly visible before it too shattered.

"You flipped Vizier of Light(700/1500) whose flip effect lets me pick up a light monster from my cemetery and add it to my hand. So Saturn Knight comes back to me." A card popped out of her cemetery and she grabbed it, adding it to her hand.

"Before you can continue I'll activate my set card, Sight From Beyond! This removes every light type in my cemetery from the game and ends the battle phase. But when Vizier of Light is removed from play it immediately returns to my hand." Rani grimaced and put her hands on her hips, knowing that there was nothing more she could do in her turn. She could only hope and pray that her idiot partner could do something.

Misuno chuckled at her discomfort, knowing that soon she would be finished. When he was done with them they would wish they had never made this challenge. "First I draw." He glanced at his card, and then reached down to his duel disk and grabbed his set monster.

"Allow me to introduce you to Des Lacooda(500/600) an interesting zombie who when flip summoned allows me to draw one card from my deck." A zombie camel appeared, and Misuno quickly drew another card, giving him two in hand.

"I think I know just what to bring out. First I play Monster Reincarnation! To do so I'll discard Repayment of Losses, letting me draw and pick up a monster from the grave." He tossed out his hand then drew a new card and grabbed a card that popped out of his cemetery.

"Finally I sacrifice Des Lacooda for Dark Dust Spirit(2200/1800) who when summoned instantly destroys every face-up monster in play besides itself!" His dark creature threw back its head and roared, sending streams of black dust out. It covered the field, and every player but Misuno began to hack and wheeze. The same could be said for the monsters, who all keeled over and vanished in the dust.

"Dark Dust Spirit, attack Ken with Black Tornado!" A sweeping vortex of smog and dust shot from the hands of the spirit, straight at Ken. The clown user cried out in a panic as the tornado covered him. Misuno chuckled as Ken had a coughing fit. (KLP: 800)

Misuno set a card face down, and then finished his turn. "Now that my turn is over, Dark Dust Spirit, being a spirit arch-type, returns to my hand." The zombie faded away and turned into a ball of light which floated into Misuno's hand.

Ken's hands were shaking as he drew, praying that he got something useful. Because if he didn't, he was certain his opponents wouldn't be lenient on him. _'Dream Clown? This won't help right now!'_ He smirked confidently and set his monster face down before ending his turn.

Rani stared at her partner in horror, and then at her face down cards. They were completely useless to her without monsters in play. She was going to lose and she knew it. "I summon Saturn Knight(1600/1400). Then I skip battle to finish Rani off." A single bolt of light knocked her off her feet. (RLP: 0)

Misuno smirked and picked up the top card off his deck. Ken stared at him in horror, realizing what had happened. Since his own partner was gone, the duel had automatically moved to Misuno's turn. "Time to end this now. I activate Corpus Animus, which lets me take one living creature in an opposing player's cemetery and summon it to my field for one turn as a zombie."

He snapped his fingers, and a rotting man in broken blue armor marched out onto his field. A beetle crawled out of a hole in its shoulder and then into another hole in its neck, causing Ken to shudder. "Can't stand the horror can you? Well, my face down cards will teach you. First, Call of the Haunted lets me revive Sangan(1000/600). No need to show you too much of my deck."

The furball appeared, and then Misuno's other set flipped up. "Next is Imbued By Shadow. By sacrificing a dark type monster one creature on my field can attack the opposing player directly. So, General of the Undead Legion(2200/1800), attack Ken directly!"

Ken screamed and turned tail, trying to get away. But he was too slow as the undead monster jumped up and over his defense monster and landed directly on him. The strike slammed his face into the linoleum, and he was out like a light. "These are all Eikyuu can muster? Then let's get going and finish Eikyuu shall we?"

AB nodded, and the two walked towards the exit. A number of miles away, Eikyuu sat in his throne. Despite his mask's expressionlessness, his priests could swear he was smiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Azure shot a glance over her shoulder, just in time to miss the little green firefly vanish again. It was starting to bother her, especially since they had been walking for much longer now than any of the previous times. Only one of them remained to take a Trial, and so far no door had appeared.

None of the others seemed to be worried about this, as they were still presumably thinking about Kirani's revelation. Each of them so far had shown admirable qualities so far, and she was beginning to think that she was right. These were the world's only hope of defeating Eikyuu.

"I'm beginning to worry. I've never seen anyone taking the Trials walk so long before a door appeared. This is highly unusual, it's like the forces that control the Trials are debating what sort of opponent would be best to test you with." Dalin didn't even bother to glance back, because he had stopped and was staring straight ahead.

Azure peered around the massive form of the angel duelist, trying to see if he had spotted a door. "It's about time a door showed up, this wait has been irritating."

"I suggest you take a close look." All of them stepped up, looking around Dalin. A collective gasp went up amongst them (sans Dalin) as they saw the green little firefly thing dipping up and down in front of them. It was acting very erratically, and its light was getting brighter with each second.

Dalin made a sweeping motion with his right arm, and looked over his shoulder at the others. "Step back, I'll deal with whatever this is."

He slid into a fighting stance and a silver glow began to grow around his body. Meanwhile the green glow was starting to reach nearly blinding proportions, and everyone but Dalin looked away. Dalin cleared his senses, and stared straight through the light to what was happening at the epicenter.

The firefly creature had stopped dead and it was pulsing rapidly, much like a heartbeat. A lick of green flame sprang up from the little light, and then it began to wrap around the firefly. It spun at such a great pace that soon a tornado of emerald fire reached from the floor to the ceiling, blocking even Dalin's view of the firefly.

Dalin extended his right arm, gathering power in his palm. The Icon of Osiris glinted dangerously, and he radiated authority as he spoke. "Show yourself!"

The jade tornado collapsed in on itself, and then the firefly exploded, sweeping the corridors of the pathway in green fire.

The flames subsided, and the group lowered their arms from covering their faces, and looked up to see what had happened to the firefly. In its place was a being wreathed in green fire, staring at them intently. "You've reached the final test of the Trials. Dalin Imaki Sumatin, I challenge you to a duel! Rules aside, if you defeat me with your greatest strength you will have succeeded."

Dalin stared unblinkingly at the creature, and then stepped up and out of his fighting stance. A single snap of his wrist brought his duel disk into place, and then he slid his deck into it. "There is nothing but my greatest strength. I do not hold back in any duel, it is not in my nature."

The flame creature raised its own left arm, and a duel disk appeared there, already activated. It didn't seem to be touched by the emerald fire, so obviously the fire was magical in nature. "That's a lie. You've held back your true strength in every duel you've ever played except for one. But if you expect to defeat Eikyuu then you'll have to break through the barriers that are holding you back!"

Kirani frowned as she heard the flame creature speak, trying to figure out exactly what it meant. Dalin was one of the strongest people she had ever met, and he was the top duelist in the entire world. How could he be blocked in releasing his true strength? She needed to know. "Who do you think you are to know these things about Dalin?"

It turned to gaze upon her, and she felt warmth flow through her very being. "I am the enemy that he has never faced, the rival that he has never acknowledged, the foe that he has yet to defeat. I am what bars the path between him and Eikyuu, and I am the one who can show you all the way to the power to defeat Eikyuu."

As the creature's lips turned up into a confident smirk, Kirani began to understand. Dalin narrowed his eyes at his opponent, and then held up a hand of five cards, ready to begin. The walls around them began to flicker as the scene changed. "The foe that I have yet to defeat, an enemy that I have never faced, a rival I have never acknowledged. Well then, I acknowledge you now...Daisuke." (DLP: 4000)

Hikari's eyes lit up and she looked around Dalin's shoulder, trying to see if she could see any features that would resemble him. But there was nothing, so she couldn't tell if Dalin was right or not. On the opposite side, Kirani could only feel awe at seeing this form. "You're as astute as ever Dalin. I, Drake Ihachi, shall be your opponent!" (DRLP: 4000)

The area around them settled, taking a solid form. Kirani blinked, recognizing the place that they were at. She hadn't been aware of what was going on, but she had seen it briefly as they left. "Alcatraz Duel Tower!"

Dalin and the spectral Drake now stood opposite each other on the platform that the finals of Battle City had taken place on. The platform began to rise, and each duelist prepared themself for their battle. A duel that had been far too long in coming. "This duel shall be our Battle City Final Match, to determine the winner of the Battle City Tournament!"

At once both duelists fanned their hands out, the holographic projectors on the platform flipping up. The lights beneath Drake's spot lit up, indicating that he would be going first. Their eyes met, one set green, and the other green flame. In the same moment they made their readiness known. "LET'S DUEL!"

Drake started off fast, snapping the top card off his deck. He glanced at his new card and then placed it in his hand. Next he grabbed another card and placed it down on his disk. "I've been waiting for this moment for quite some time, and now that we have the chance it's just a pity that it's under these circumstances. Also, I apologize for my appearance. This is the best I can manage from where I am now."

"Apology accepted. But make no mistake, this duel will be mine." Drake smirked at Dalin, happy to see that his opponent was as prepared and confident as ever. This would be a duel with all of their strength.

"Let's get started. I summon Skilled Apprentice Magician(1400/1200) in attack mode!" A happy faced young man in long brown robes appeared in front of Drake, holding a simple brown staff in his hands.

"Now, I'll place these cards face down and end my turn!" Two cards appeared behind the apprentice, and then Drake's turn was over.

Dalin drew and frowned slightly at Drake's monster. "I summon Venus, Angel of Creation(1600/0) in attack mode." An attractive woman with angel's wings and long flowing robes appeared across from the magician. Instead of a staff she had her hands clasped in a prayer position, and three orbs floated around her like moons.

"Venus, attack his magician. Glow of Creation!" Three beams of energy connected together from the orbs, and then Venus extended her hands, placing it on the pinpoint of energy that had gathered. A massive wave of energy shot out, streaking straight towards the apprentice.

"Reveal face down card! Command Silencer!" A ten foot tall totem pole appeared in the path of the attack, speakers attached to its extended wing-like arms. A shrieking sound issued forth from it, and the sheer force of the sound sent the beam of energy streaking off into the distance.

"I expected something like that. Now you get to draw a card." Drake nodded and drew his top card, adding it to the other three cards in his hand.

"Just like you I shall set two cards face down. Now, take your turn."

Drake glanced at his new card, and then proceeded to tuck it amongst the other four. He picked up a different card and slid it onto his duel disk. "I'll set one card face down, and switch Skilled Apprentice Magician into defense mode. End."

Dalin didn't even glance at his newly drawn card. Instead he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. "Venus, I activate your special ability. I pay fifteen hundred life points to unleash all three Holy Shine Spheres(500/500)." (DLP: 2500)

The three moon-like spheres that had been floating around Venus suddenly split away, floating to land above a monster zone, one for each. Although they were simple silver spheres, they had great potential. Drake narrowed his eyes, and prepared himself. _'Could it be?'_

Kirani gasped as she realized what was coming. Azure and Hikari both frowned at her, but Takuya nodded, seeing it as well. "This is it, this is the method he's used many times before. He's going to unleash the power of one of the god cards."

The angel duelist took the farthest left card of his hand, and then slammed it down onto the remaining monster zone of his duel disk. Energy from the Holy Shine Spheres began to flow into that zone, and a large form began to take shape. "I'll sacrifice two Holy Shine Spheres for this creature!"

Dalin's new monster stood roughly nine feet tall, and was shockingly handsome, with flowing blonde hair that waved out behind him in the wind. Stretched out behind him was a pair of pure white angel's wings. "Jupiter, Angel of Life(2400/2400)! This is the strongest angel in my deck."

Drake, Takuya, and Kirani all blinked in surprise, each of them having expected a god card to have appeared. "You seem slightly unimpressed by Jupiter. I admit he does not match the raw power of the gods, but he will certainly do well enough for this duel. For now, Venus attacks!"

A dark skinned ghoul popped up, a shovel in hand, just as Venus was about to make her attack. It reached behind its back and held up a massive holographic card. "I'm hardly defenseless Dalin. First off my quick-play magic card, Grave Sifting! This magic card lets me move one card between our graveyards."

The ghoul stabbed his shovel into the ground and quickly dug up a wide enough space to place the huge card. It dropped the card in, and then patted dirt back over it. Dalin frowned as he realized what was about to happen. "Next, I combo that with my other set card. Mechanical Magic Mirror! I'll activate the Command Silencer I just placed in your cemetery!"

A robotic magician took the ghoul's place and it raised its arms out. They became exactly like the arms of the totem pole, speakers included. A blast of sound washed over Dalin's monsters, and they covered their ears, unwilling to attack. "Very well, you have succeeded in preventing me from attacking and you were able to draw a new card. End turn."

Drake drew, seeing his new card. He took the card he had drawn from Command Silencer and slid it onto his duel disk. "I set one card face down. End Turn!"

The others watched with baited breath as Dalin drew and motioned to Venus. "Attack his monster again. Let's see what he has waiting for us."

"The same as before. I flip up Instant Replay! Since the card I last played was Command Silencer, that means Instant Replay takes its effect!" His newest quick-play card morphed into the giant totem pole, and another blast of sound halted the newest attack. Dalin nodded, having expected something similar. Drake just smirked and drew from his card's effect.

Dalin nodded to Drake, and folded his arms across his massive chest, staring impassively at the other duelist. Drake snapped the top card off his deck, giving him a total of seven cards in his hand. "It's time to show you what I've been saving up for!"

Kirani frowned and looked over at Takuya. "Who do you think has the real lead? From the way Drake is acting I'd say he's been stringing Dalin around, but nobody strings Dalin around. He's always one step ahead of everyone else, while Drake usually plays with the flow of the duel."

The warrior duelist glanced back and forth between the two combating duelists, his jaw set as he contemplated the issue. Finally he came up with an answer. "At the moment, your guess is as good as mine. I think they're both playing each other, and we'll just have to wait and see which one can do it better."

Drake held out a card from his hand, and energy began to crackle around his magician. "This is the last card I need before I can go on the offensive! Magician's Storm, playable only when I have a magician in play. Now, Skilled Apprentice Magician, destroy his magic and trap cards!"

The brown robed magician pointed his staff at the set cards and arcs of lightning shot out, shattering each of the two in turn. Dalin nodded, seeming to be unworried by the destruction of his two cards. "It's time to let you in on a secret. When Skilled Apprentice Magician has four magic counters on it, which it gets when a magic card is played, I can sacrifice it and the counters to special summon any magician from my deck to the field."

Azure stood impassively, watching the duel progress. She didn't know much about these two duelists, but she did know that Dalin had defeated those whom she believed unbeatable. This other person, there was something about him though that told her he was no ordinary duelist either. _'Which one is the strongest?'_

Takuya thought back to his duel with Drake in Battle City, and the card that he had given Drake after he had lost their duel. That card had become perhaps Drake's favorite card, and his strongest monster. _'Black Magician of Chaos, he'll definitely summon it with his monster's effect.'_

"I tribute Skilled Apprentice Magician and the four counters it has to special summon Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900) from my deck! Now, since I've special summoned Guardian Magician of the Day, I can special summon Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) from my deck to the field!" Two virtually identical magicians appeared in place of the apprentice, one in robes like the night's sky, and one in robe's like a cloudy day.

"Now, I play Magical Bouquet, and take a magic card from my deck and add it to my hand. That magic card I'll activate, revealing Effect Economics!" A continuous magic card appeared in front of him, and a glow passed over the field briefly.

"Using this combination I'll have my two guardians combine their magic to destroy all of your monsters!" The two magicians tapped their staffs together, and energy exploded out from the touching tips. The energy swept across Dalin's field, blowing it away.

The smoke faded, and Drake drew back in surprise as Jupiter was revealed, standing exactly where it had been before. "You miscalculated Drake, you didn't take one of Jupiter's special effects into account. By discarding a card from my hand I can prevent him from being destroyed under any circumstances."

Drake frowned, realizing that he couldn't defeat Jupiter this turn. To kill it he would have to drain Dalin's entire hand, and Dalin had quite a number of ways to replenish his hand. "I set one card face down. Your turn Dalin."

Dalin glanced at his newest card, and then pointed at the Guardian Magician of the Day. "Jupiter, attack his monster." The angel flapped its wings and flew across the field towards the magicians. He threw a punch, but the magicians tapped their staffs together and a massive barrier appeared to block it.

"My quick-play magic card Magician's Shield lets me move two magicians on the field into defense mode, and set their defense power as a composite three thousand for just one attack." Jupiter returned to its previous position, and then Dalin folded his hand together, ending his turn. (DLP: 1900)

Hikari watched the duel, her eyes wide with amazement. Although his appearance was at the moment that of a burning beast of green fire, she knew that this was her brother all grown up. _'He's a great duelist...he's even got Dalin on the ropes! My little brother, all grown up...you've become a truly strong person since last I saw you.'_

Her brother drew, and then clenched his right fist together. "Guardian Magicians, activate your effect and destroy Jupiter!" The combined attack blasted across the field, and once again as the smoke cleared Jupiter was still standing.

"Just as before I discard one card from my hand to maintain Jupiter's position in play." He slid a card from his hand into the grave, and then held up his hand of cards.

"There are still three cards in this hand, so you'll have to get past all three of them before you can defeat Jupiter." Drake nodded, and slid his newest card into his duel disk.

"Go, Magician's Cross! Together my Guardian Magicians will combine for one attack of three thousand points! Cross of Magic!" A combined burst of energy sprayed across Jupiter, forcing the massive angel backwards a few feet. It grunted and smacked the remaining energy aside, remaining unharmed. (DLP: 1300)

"Very well, I discard one more card to keep Jupiter on the field. Is that all?" Drake shook his head and took another card from his hand, and slapped it down on his duel disk. A pile of books appeared in front of him, and then a frumpy looking man with glasses showed up amongst them.

"I summon Scholarly Magician(900/1500) in defense mode. Then I'm done." The frumpy man reached for the wand a few feet away, and used it to flip open a book. He held up it up in front of his face and began flipping through it, looking completely engrossed in the tome.

Azure blinked, staring at the new magician in surprise. "What kind of monster is that? It looks more interested in research than in battle."

To her further surprise Drake winked at her, and then returned to staring across the field at Dalin. Kirani glanced back at her and smiled apologetically. "He's like that, don't mind him."

Dalin picked up another card from his deck, and glanced amongst the three. He frowned and snapped his hand back together. "End turn."

Drake blinked, surprised that his opponent had forgone his attack for the turn. Then he grinned and drew, realizing exactly what had happened. _'Just like I thought. He knew instinctively that my Scholarly Magician wasn't on the field just as tribute bait. He's as on top of things as ever.'_

"Your instincts have served you well Dalin, but not quite well enough! First off, just like in my last turns I'll use magician's ability and combine their power together to destroy Jupiter!" This time Jupiter didn't bother to meet the attack. Instead he rose up off the ground, letting the beam of magical energy pass harmlessly under him.

Dalin took one of his three remaining cards and slid it into the grave, now making his hand half the size of Drake's. He let himself smile slightly and wondered what would happen next. _'Drake has certainly improved as a duelist since I first saw him in battle. Back then he struggled against Takuya's unorganized deck merely because of the power of his envoy.'_

His memories flitted back to the duels he had seen Drake in, understanding exactly the sort of progression he was seeing. _'The next time I saw him duel he struggled against himself and against Autumn, but eventually succeeded. Although I didn't see him duel Taichi, I know he dueled well. Then he dueled Ihachi and held his ground against her, strong throughout the entire time, defeating her in the end.'_

The most recent memory of a duel came from something from roughly a week earlier, when they had all ended up on that island in the ocean. _'Then he and Serenity faced those three duelists. Each one was skilled, using a strategy of instant defeat, but Drake not only held his ground but was able to improvise and protect his weaker partner. Then he formed a monster of infinite attack power. Yes, he's come a long way as a duelist and as a person.'_

"Dalin, I hope you're ready to lose Jupiter! I play Soul of the Thoughtful, which would normally cost me five hundred life points to play. Now I get to reactivate one effect this turn, which would be the magician's monster destruction effect!" Jupiter swerved to the right, dodging another blast of magical energy. Dalin frowned and slid another card into his graveyard.

"Like I said, that was just the start. I activate Shot From The Dark, to replay Magician's Cross from the graveyard. Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night, attack with Cross of Magic(3000)!" The follow up energy attacked slammed directly into Jupiter's mid section, knocking him to the ground. Slowly he lifted himself up, brushing off some imaginary dust. (DLP: 700)

"Impressive play. Now my hand is completely empty. You can potentially destroy Jupiter now." Drake smirked and cracked his knuckles, satisfied at his work. He bowed his head briefly, and Dalin took his cue to draw a new card.

He glanced at the single card in his hand, and then at Jupiter. Without another thought he reached down and shifted the position of the card on his duel disk. "I'll move Jupiter into defense mode."

The angel glanced back at Dalin in confusion, and then dropped into a crouch, folding his wings across his large body. Dalin then took the card in his hand and slid it onto his duel disk. "I activate Song of Angels, in order to restore fifteen hundred of my life points."

A heavenly sound drifted over the field, and Dalin's duel disk started to glow. Bit by bit his energy and his life points were restored, undoing the damage he had done to himself for Venus' effect. "That's all for now." (DLP: 2200)

Drake's face became set and focused, seeing that he had an essentially clear path. All he had to do was eliminate Jupiter and the path to Dalin's life points would be completely clear. "Destroy Jupiter with your effect!"

Energy slammed into the angel's folded wings, and an acrid smell filled the field as the attack burned through Jupiter's wings. Finally it pierced through and blew Jupiter away, leaving Dalin's field completely empty. "I'm ready Drake."

Azure, Takuya, Kirani, and Hikari all waited with baited breath as Drake raised his right hand. Then he punched straight towards Dalin, his eyes hard and focused. "This is it! Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night...attack him directly!"

He blinked, seeing Dalin smiling slightly. His monsters hadn't moved at all, and the others on the side of the platform were staring at him with confused expression on their faces. "What's going on, why didn't my monsters attack?"

He blinked again, and grabbed his throat with his hands. He had spoken just then, but there had been no sound! He looked to Dalin for an explanation, and the duelist gladly gave one. "One of the cards I discarded was Speak No Evil, which can be played from the cemetery. By shuffling five cards from my grave back into my deck I can prevent my opponent from conducting a battle phase for the turn."

Drake grimaced, realizing that his monsters wouldn't be making any finishing strikes this turn. He watched Dalin take five cards from his cemetery and return them to his deck, shuffling it with the great speed that he was known for. Knowing he couldn't be heard, he simply mouthed the words 'End Turn'.

Dalin placed his fingers on his deck and began to draw the card, but was stopped when Drake began to speak. "Dalin, your Angel Deck has always been powerful, and over time it's become even stronger. Few duelists can match it since it flows so well, but in the end do you really think angels can match the strength of Eikyuu? You'll need something of a higher caliber to defeat a god like him, so that's why you need to stop holding back!"

The angel duelist frowned and glanced at his deck. _'Holding back? Perhaps he means that I am only using one half of who I am. The other part that I have long been neglecting, the part that lurks underneath the surface. Very well, the mystery power, the strength of who I am in the past...that is what I shall unleash.'_

"I accept your challenge Daisuke, now, this will be my full power. Draw!" He snapped the card off his deck, and immediately held it up. The Japanese text on the top clearly gave its name.

"Payment of Debt, this allows me to draw three cards off the top of my deck! Now, the first card!" He drew the first card, and without looking he slid it into his duel disk. Three spaces on his field started to glow.

"Renewal of Triplets! Now, I return all three Holy Shine Spheres(500/500) to the field in defense mode!" The three little silver spheres appeared in front of him, and the others watched with baited breath, beginning to see where this was going.

"Second card, face down!" A card appeared behind the middle Shine Sphere, and everyone but Drake wasn't sure what to make of it. Just like with Renewal of Triplets he had played this card without looking. And since the duel disk had accepted it, it was obviously a magic card or a trap card.

"Third card...my true strength!" He pulled the card free and his arm went out to the side. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and to those watching who could see energy...his card pulsed with life, as did his deck.

"I sacrifice all three of my monsters and summon Saint Dragon Osiris(X000/X000) in attack mode!" The sky above clouded over, and lightning cracked down around them as a behemoth of a monster descended. It had to be thousands of feet in length total, and its long coils stretched out to wrap around and down the Duel Tower. Its massive head hovered above Dalin, its double-jawed mouth breathing out trails of steam.

Dalin's eyes opened, and Drake blinked in surprise when he saw that the irises were completely silver. Drake's surprise turned to something different as he realized Dalin's turn was over, and he drew his card. "Osiris may have a lot of potential, but without any cards in your hand it has zero attack and defense points. That makes it fodder for my monsters."

"Guardian Magician of the Night, attack Saint Dragon Osiris!" The magician gulped and stepped forward, raising his staff to point at the mighty creature. A beam of energy shot out, and puffed out against Osiris' giant face. The god monster roared, the force of it making it difficult for Drake to keep his footing.

Drake blinked as Dalin's face down card flipped up, revealing it to be a trap with the continuous symbol on it. The image was what really got him though, because he had seen the object depicted before. It was a four-fingered silver ring, and it was identical to the one on Dalin's hand. "I reveal my continuous trap card, Icon of Osiris! This prevents any assaults against Osiris this turn, and instantly allows me to draw twice."

Dalin drew two cards, and Osirirs roared as energy flowed into its body, putting it at two thousand attack and defense points. Now it was stronger than any of Drake's three monsters, and since it was a divine type Drake couldn't use the Guardian Magician's effect to destroy it. "I'll just destroy your trap with my monster's unity effect!"

The magicians touched their staffs together and fired their combined attack, but Osiris simply shifted one of its arms in the way, snuffing out the energy attack before it could strike the trap. "As long as Saint Dragon Osiris is in play the Icon of Osiris cannot be destroyed. You asked for my power, and this is it."

He held up the Icon on his own hand, and it blazed with power. The trap card glowed in time with his item, and Drake could feel the energy flowing between Dalin and Osiris. _'This is more than I was hoping for. They told me that he had a hidden strength, but I never expected it to be like this!'_

"Errr...I switch the two magicians into defense mode. That's all for now." The magicians glanced at each other and then dropped into a crouch. The frumpy magician still sat amongst his piles of books, completely oblivious to anything that was going on.

Dalin drew, and Osiris instantly gained further power. Suddenly Dalin's graveyard glowed, and a card popped out of it. "If Saint Dragon Osiris is in play, once per turn I can return a card from the cemetery to my hand with the power of the Icon of Osiris. Now thanks to that I activate Payment of Debt!"

Drake's eyes went wide as he realized the implications of this. Each turn Dalin could get back Payment of Debt and pump his hand up by three cards, meaning Osiris would always be more powerful than the average monster. Now it had six thousand points. "If Icon of Osiris is in play and I play a card related to Osiris, I can instantly draw a new card."

Dalin held up a card from his hand, and with other hand he gestured towards Osiris. "Your attempts to destroy him have angered Osiris. Now, his wrath shall be swift and deadly. I play the magic card Wrath of Osiris, in order to use his second mouth ability against all monsters in play!"

Osiris opened its second mouth wide, and fired three blasts of energy at Drake's monsters. They collided with the creatures and blew them away, and smoke filled up Drake's field. "Since that card related to Osiris my hand size is instantly six again. However, I now play Hands Clawing from the Lands of the Dead! This card works in concert with Osiris, and destroys your hand!"

Osiris slashed with one clawed arm, and three blades of energy slammed into Drake, forcing him backwards. He groaned and dropped to one knee, his cards falling from his hand. Instantly Dalin drew a new card, keeping his hand size at six, and giving him a god with six thousand points against his empty field and hand. "I see...so this is your true strength."

"Yes. You have dueled well, but now it's over. Saint Dragon Osiris(6000/6000), attack him directly!" Osiris' jaw opened up and a massive beam of energy erupted from it. Everyone watched in shock as the strike hit Drake and blew him completely off the platform.

Steam rose off the fallen emerald flame form of Drake Ihachi as he lay prostrate on the ground, completely unmoving. Dalin stood beneath the hovering head of Osiris, watching his opponent carefully. "I told you, that is my power. For I am the very might of Osiris incarnate on Earth."

The wind blew across the top of the Duel Tower, and silence followed these words.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Finally I got to write this chapter, which I've been awaiting for a very long time. I'm glad I got to do this at last.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: And see, Rani is gone. Misuno isn't quite as evil as he seems, he's just frustrated from being bodyless for three and a half thousand years.

The White Mage: They duel because it's Yu-Gi-Oh based. For a full explanation, you'd have to ask Kaz. And nope, the ritual is not to release anything.

WolfGeneral: Yes, that's Dalin at work.

VoidTemplar: Wasn't soon, but it IS an update.

Time Mage: There's double duel results for you. Misuno and AB shall continue to play roles.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Rani: Joyful Token Club

Misuno: Repayment of Losses, Corpus Animus, Imbued By Shadow

AB: Vizier of Light, Sight From Beyond, Saturn Knight

Drake: Skilled Apprentice Magician, Grave Sifting, Instant Replay, Magician's Storm, Guardian Magician of the Day, Guardian Magician of the Night, Effect Economics, Magician's Shield, Scholarly Magician, Shot From The Dark, Soul of the Thoughtful

Dalin: Jupiter-Angel of Life, Song of Angels, Speak No Evil, Payment of Debt, Renewal of Triplets, Icon of Osiris, Wrath of Osiris, Hands Clawing from the Lands of the Dead

Anime Cards: Magician's Cross, Mechanical Magic Mirror


	38. Power From Within

Author's Notes: Yeah...I got nothing to say...yet.

_**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Power From Within**_

_Dalin drew, and Osiris instantly gained further power. Suddenly Dalin's graveyard glowed, and a card popped out of it. "If Saint Dragon Osiris is in play, once per turn I can return a card from the cemetery to my hand with the power of the Icon of Osiris. Now thanks to that I activate Payment of Debt!"_

_Drake's eyes went wide as he realized the implications of this. Each turn Dalin could get back Payment of Debt and pump his hand up by three cards, meaning Osiris would always be more powerful than the average monster. Now it had six thousand points. "If Icon of Osiris is in play and I play a card related to Osiris, I can instantly draw a new card."_

_Dalin held up a card from his hand, and with other hand he gestured towards Osiris. "Your attempts to destroy him have angered Osiris. Now, his wrath shall be swift and deadly. I play the magic card Wrath of Osiris, in order to use his second mouth ability against all monsters in play!"_

_Osiris opened its second mouth wide, and fired three blasts of energy at Drake's monsters. They collided with the creatures and blew them away, and smoke filled up Drake's field. "Since that card related to Osiris my hand size is instantly six again. However, I now play Hands Clawing from the Lands of the Dead! This card works in concert with Osiris, and destroys your hand!"_

_Osiris slashed with one clawed arm, and three blades of energy slammed into Drake, forcing him backwards. He groaned and dropped to one knee, his cards falling from his hand. Instantly Dalin drew a new card, keeping his hand size at six, and giving him a god with six thousand points against his empty field and hand. "I see...so this is your true strength."_

"_Yes. You have dueled well, but now it's over. Saint Dragon Osiris(6000/6000), attack him directly!" Osiris' jaw opened up and a massive beam of energy erupted from it. Everyone watched in shock as the strike hit Drake and blew him completely off the platform._

_Steam rose off the fallen emerald flame form of Drake Ihachi as he lay prostrate on the ground, completely unmoving. Dalin stood beneath the hovering head of Osiris, watching his opponent carefully. "I told you, that is my power. For I am the very might of Osiris incarnate on Earth."_

_The wind blew across the top of the Duel Tower, and silence followed these words._

They all stared, watching the smoke rise from Drake's false body. Dalin stood exactly where he had, Osiris above him and his arms at his sides. Hikari and Kirani began to move towards Drake, when Dalin suddenly made a slashing motion at them with his hand. A barrier appeared in front of them, blocking their way. "Stand back. It's not over yet."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, but their gazes were drawn to Drake as the teenage boy in fire elemental form groaned and sat up, shaking his head. "Damn...that was seriously powerful. But don't count me out quite yet Dalin!"

He took a leap and landed back on the platform in his original position. He raised his duel disk and smirked, ready to continue. Dalin nodded, and then asked what was all on their minds. "I had realized you weren't finished when the cards on the field didn't immediately fade. However, would you explain how you survived?"

"Simple, Scholarly Magician allows me to activate magic cards from my hand during the opponent's turn, or set cards on the field during their turn. Any card set in this manner can be activated during that turn. So when you went after Scholarly Magician I set a card on the field. You didn't see it because of the smoke. And here's the card." He held his hand in front of his graveyard slot and it popped out.

"The Shrink magic card, which let me reduce Osiris' attack power by half to three thousand. It was nearly enough to finish me off, but not quite. So this duel is still on." He returned the card to the grave, leaving him with no hand and no field except for Effect Economics. Meanwhile Dalin had his Icon of Osiris and Saint Dragon Osiris at six thousand attack points. (DRLP: 1000)

"Very well, I end my turn, leaving me with six cards in my hand." Drake frowned, having hoped that Dalin would empty his hand slightly. Then again, with the immunities that the gods had, it was no surprise he felt no need to leave cards out to protect it. All Osiris needed was its effect and cards in hand.

Drake took a deep breath and drew the top card of his deck. He took one glance at it and girded himself for what was to come. "It's going to come down to the power of a god, versus whatever I can rely on. Just know, Osiris won't be enough to defeat Eikyuu."

"We'll see. Before you tell me what power can defeat Eikyuu, perhaps you should worry about defeating me first." Drake nodded, as grim faced and cold as Dalin. This was no time to joke around, this was a win or lose moment in a very important duel. A duel Drake had no intention of losing.

"I set one monster face down!" A brown backed card appeared in front of him, face down. Osiris eyed it like a snack, and Dalin nodded. The god opened its mouth wide, and energy charged within.

Kirani gasped as he realized what was happening. Hikari looked at her strangely, so she explained. "Saint Dragon Osiris has a special ability. Whenever a monster is summoned by the opponent Osiris strikes it with an attack that drains it of two thousand points. If it has less than two thousand points, it is destroyed. So the only reason Drake would set a monster face down with Osiris in play...is to force the immediate activation of a flip effect."

Osiris' Summon Lightning Impact blew Drake's set monster apart, leaving no traces. But Drake was grinning, having known that Osiris had no choice but to use its own effect. "Your monster's effect flipped up my Sage of Everlasting Light(500/400) who will now determine the course of this duel. And I'll bet everything on tails!"

A giant coin was projected holographically, and it began to spin up in the air. It came down as a blur, striking on its edge and bouncing crazily across the field. It went into a spin, and finally slowed landing with one side face up. Both duelists stared at it, and then Drake punched one hand into the air. "Tails it is! Now, I draw five cards!"

"Now, my true strength is what will combat Osiris. I set three cards face down, and end my turn!" Now his only barrier between him and a god were three magic or trap cards. It was down to just those, and no god could be destroyed by such things.

Dalin drew and then caught the card that his graveyard spat out. "Payment of Debt, that lets me draw three new cards, putting my hand size at ten cards." Osiris hissed, spreading steam all over the field as its power rose to even greater heights.

"If you thought Osiris would be alone, you were greatly mistaken. According to their effect I now special summon two monsters from my hand. Servant of Osiris(?) And Servant of Osiris(?)!" Two human figures appeared, wearing simple drab white robes. They only thing that set them apart from normal humans were their glowing silver eyes.

"Question marks? Why are their attack and defense points question marks?" Dalin gestured broadly to both of them, and their bodies became lined with silver energy.

"Much like their master their attack and defense points are based on the cards in my hand. For each card in my hand they gain three hundred attack and defense points. Since I hold eight cards, Osiris has eight thousand and they both have twenty-four hundred." Drake grimaced, realizing that he was now facing down three very powerful monsters who would just become more powerful.

"Now, Saint Dragon Osiris launches an attack!" Just like when it attacked Drake directly, the Egyptian god sent a stream of high powered energy straight at the duelist.

"Open face down card, Protection of the Destined! This card prevents me from being harmed by monsters during this turn, so none of your attacks can be completed." The attack phased right through Drake, blasting apart a spire of the tower that rested behind him. Drake grimaced, realizing that something similar could happen to him if he was hit by Osiris.

"So be it. I set one card face down. Now I end my turn, discarding one card from my hand to reduce my hand size to six." He slid a card into his grave, and then folded his arms, awaiting Drake's move.

"Your monsters are all limited by your hand size. Although potentially they can all be devastatingly powerful, you can't hold more than six cards in your hand. And therein lies the base flaw in Osiris." Drake smirked and drew, planning it all out.

Dalin didn't seemed bothered by Drake's confidence, in fact he had a simple smile on his face. "That's not as accurate as you might have hoped. You see, the card I discarded to return my hand size to the limit was called Balance of the Body and Soul. As long as it exists in the cemetery my hand size has no limit."

Drake frowned, realizing that he had to toss that theory out the window. Apparently Dalin's deck had ways of dealing with the few flaws that Osiris had and capitalizing on them. Osiris was just about at its perfect form, now the only flaw remaining was what would happen if Drake managed to empty Dalin's hand. _'All I can do is just duel. He's not getting through this duel without showing me his all!'_

"I summon Sunset Magician(1300/2000) in defense mode!" The red robed magician appeared, and was immediately struck by a purple sphere of energy. The magician looked severely weakened as its defense dropped to a meager zero points.

"Since Sunset Magician was hit by an attack, I now get to draw one card. Now, I set that card face down and end my turn!" A third card appeared on his field, protecting him from Dalin's assembled forces.

As soon as Dalin drew his graveyard returned a card to him. "Just as usual, I activate Payment of Debt. Then I follow that up with Pot of Greed, granting me a grand total of eleven cards."

Dalin scanned his cards and then took one of them and slid it into his duel disk. "Perhaps you were planning on exploiting the remaining flaw of Osiris and forcing me to get rid of my hand to weaken Osiris. However, one card will make that impossible. Go, Hand Stasis Field!"

He took the ten other cards from his hand and inserted them back into his deck. Then he shuffled them all together and returned his deck to his duel disk. Behind him ten holographic Duel Monsters cards appeared. "When activated Hand Stasis Field lets me shuffle any number of cards from my hand into my deck. For the rest of the duel my hand is considered to be set at that amount. So now I have a set hand size of ten cards."

Drake grimaced, realizing exactly what that meant. No matter what he tried, Osiris would always have ten thousand points, and the Servants would always have three thousand. _'He's just created a permanent army of monsters with huge attack strength. As if one weren't enough!'_

Realizing that he had little choice, Drake knew he had to act. Now was the time for desperate measures, not for sitting back and letting things happen. "I activate my trap card, Soul Theft! By sacrificing one monster on my field I can remove five cards from my deck from play!"

Sunset Magician faded away, and Drake reached for his deck. He popped it out and quickly took five cards, and held them up. All five of them vanished, leaving nothing in their place. "Now that I've done that, I guess I'm set. It's still your move Dalin."

Dalin frowned, his eyes lowering to look at Drake's two remaining set cards. _'He removed those five cards for a reason, but even I can't know exactly what it is. Even in a situation such as this it would be best for me to use caution. Osiris is my best bet.'_

He raised his right arm, Icon of Osiris glowing brightly, and pointed at Drake. "Saint Dragon Osiris...attack him directly. Thunder Force Attack!" His dragon god launched its deadly attack, sending an enormous blast of divine energy straight at his opponent.

Drake snapped his fingers together, and one of his two remaining cards flipped up. A swirling vortex of green flame appeared in front of him, and something started coming out of it. "My card is called Chaos Magic Vortex! This lets me take one magic or trap card from out of play and immediately activate it!"

A giant holographic card emerged from the vortex, which closed behind the card. As Osiris' attack closed in, the giant card turned around. A rainbow barrier appeared in the way of the attack and Osiris strike flickered out of existence. "I can't destroy gods with magic or traps, but I can negate their attacks! Mirage Magic absorbs Osiris' attack and increases my life points!" (DRLP: 11000)

Azure watched with wide eyes as the two duelists played on to the best of their abilities. _'Dalin's power is enormous, but this Drake fellow is excellent as well. Even with a god facing off against him he doesn't back down at all. I can't tell which one is better.'_

Kirani watched nervously as both of them clashed. Although normally she would have supported Drake in a duel as things currently stood if Dalin didn't win the duel then there was no telling what would happen. _'At this point all I can do is watch.'_

Takuya watched, his jaw set painfully tight as he gritted his teeth. This whole duel was nerve wracking. _'Drake, I consider you a rival and a friend and at the current level you're displaying I don't know if I could defeat you. But Dalin is the reigning champion of this game...so which of you is stronger?'_

Hikari watched and wrung her hands together, feeling the stress of a duel like this on her. Just like Kirani she felt the urge to support her brother in this duel, she knew that it was important for Dalin to win. _'Good luck to the both of you...'_

"Osiris' attack may have failed, but I still have two more monsters. Servants of Osiris, attack Drake and undo what he has done!" Both robed men raised their hands and fired beams of silver at Drake. The punk duelist in green flame form took the attacks to the chest and slid back from the force. (DRLP: 5000)

"You're good Dalin, but no matter how good you are I have no intention of losing. Since your hand is empty I think it's safe to assume that your turn is over." Dalin nodded curtly, and Drake drew immediately afterwards.

Drake glanced at his new card, and then immediately held it up above his head. "The gods may be unstoppable in terms of regular battle, and they may be immune to destruction effects, but that doesn't mean they're invincible. I can't kill Osiris, but I can certainly remove it as a threat!"

Dalin looked up as Osiris roared, its body flashing as a swirling vortex appeared above it. The massive body of the god was pulled up into the vortex, and in moments it was nowhere to be seen. "What have you done to Osiris?"

"My Pulse of Chaos magic card lets me remove one monster on the field from the game. In this case I chose to remove Osiris, so it's no longer a threat. Of course I'm far from done!" He took one of the last two cards in his hand and slammed it down on his duel disk. Energy gathered in front of him, and a shape began to form.

"Thanks to the ability of Soul Theft my Sunset Magician was waiting as a tribute, and I've just used it. So meet Chaos Magician Girl(2000/1700)!" An attractive woman in blue and black leather appeared, buckles all over her outfit. She flashed a smirk at Dalin and twirled her ebony staff above her head.

"Chaos Magician Girl outclasses Dark Magician Girl in all ways, much like Black Magician of Chaos outclasses the Dark Magician. For instance, she gains three hundred attack points for each card that has been removed from play. That's four of the cards I removed with Soul Theft, and Sunset Magician!" Black lightning crackled around Drake's magician's form, increasing her strength to a superior thirty-five hundred.

"Your Servants are powerful, but they're wide open and no match for Chaos Magician Girl. Chaos Burning Attack!" The same black lightning that had previously lined the form of the magician girl now shot down her staff and at one of the Servants. The opposing monster shattered and became nothing but digital fragments. (DLP: 1700)

"The last card in my hand goes face down, and then it's your turn." A new card appeared on his field, backing up his Chaos Magician Girl. It was two cards face down, Effect Economics, and his girl against one Servant of Osiris with a static three thousand points and the Icon of Osiris.

The giant of a duelist picked up the top card of his grave, and then immediately took a card from his grave and held it out. "Payment of Debt now allows me to draw three new cards."

He drew three more cards, giving him four cards in his hand. Not only that but it boosted Servant of Osiris to a deadly forty-two hundred attack and defense points since his hand size was technically considered to be fourteen. "My monster is strong, but that won't be enough to finish you off."

Although having more cards in his hand assisted his monster with greater strength, he had something in mind to deal with the boost of power that Chaos Magician Girl received. "Although Osiris is gone, his powers are not lost. I activate the magic card Summon Lightning Impact, which will simulate his second mouth ability!"

He thrust out his left hand and sphere of purple energy identical to the effect of Osiris shot out. Chaos Magician Girl winced as it slammed into her stomach and drained her of two thousand attack points, leaving her with a merely average fifteen hundred. "She may be weakened, but she's not out yet. Or had you forgotten my two face down cards?"

Dalin shook his head, and then motioned to Servant of Osiris. "I had not forgotten, but little is accomplished by always holding back and never taking a chance. So I won't hold back at all. Servant of Osiris, attack Chaos Magician Girl!"

His monster fired its energy attack, and one of Drake's face down cards flipped up. "Go, Chaos Mirror! At random one card will be taken from my out of play pile and activated and I know just what I want!"

A large black mirror appeared in front of Chaos Magician Girl, and her attack power drained to twelve hundred as a card was taken from out of play. The card on the mirror spun around, and it looked like Black Magician of Chaos launching an attack. "Just what I had in mind. Chaos Scepter Blast!"

"That magic card...it can only be used when Black Magician of Chaos is on the field. How will that help you?" Dalin knew that something was coming, because Drake appeared completely confident and focused. In the last moment before the attack could strike the remaining card on Drake's field revealed itself.

"Chaos Renewal! This normally costs eight hundred life points, but Effect Economics removes that cost. Now I can special summon one monster from out of play or from the cemetery with 'chaos' in its title. Come on out, Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!" The familiar leather clad blue skinned magician that was Drake's primary monster flickered into view in front of the magician girl, draining her attack power by a further three hundred points.

"Now that he's in play, he gets to use his magic card. Chaos Scepter Blast will not only destroy your monster, but it also removes it and the top two cards of your deck from the game since it's a level two monster!" Black Magician of Chaos slammed his scepter against the ground, and a blast of chaos energy shot forwards and blew apart Servant of Osiris. Then the magician smacked aside the beam of silver energy, protecting his apprentice.

Dalin frowned and slid Servant of Osiris and two cards off his deck and tossed them to Drake. The effect of Chaos Scepter Blast took the removed cards and placed them in the opponent's removed from play pile. Therefor Chaos Magician Girl regained nine hundred attack points, putting her at eighteen hundred. "Well played Daisuke."

Drake smirked in response, awaiting the end of Dalin's turn. "Very well, it seems I will have to return to a more defensive posture. I set one card face down and place a monster in defense as well. End turn."

The punk duelist drew and then took his card and the card he had returned from his magician's effect and slid them both onto his duel disk. "I'll set those two cards face down."

He frowned, looking over his two monsters. He knew that he could attack, but this was the first time since Dalin had unleashed Osiris that he had felt the need to set a card. There was no telling what sort of cards it could be and no telling what the monster was. _'But he's right, there's no way I can win this by being overly cautious.'_

"Here I come! Black Magician of Chaos, attack his set monster!" He had to attack with it, just in case the set monster was another Servant of Osiris. That way he wouldn't lose too many life points if the monster's defense was extremely high.

Black Magician of Chaos jumped into the air and pointed his staff down at the set monster. A stream of black lightning crashed into the set monster, and it appeared as an old man with glowing silver eyes before vanishing. "You flipped Osirian Necromancer(300/100). Although he is removed from the game, his effect ends your battle phase and lets me revive three monsters from the cemetery with zero attack and defense points."

Three cards were spat out of his graveyard, and he caught all of them and slapped them on his duel disk. Two were simple glowing spheres, and the third was a man in white robes with glowing silver eyes. "Holy Shine Sphere(0/0), Holy Shine Sphere(0/0), and Servant of Osiris(0/0)."

Dalin held up his duel disk so Drake could see that his two spheres were in defense mode. Based on how it was standing tall, it was already obvious that Servant of Osiris was in attack mode. "Osirian Necromancer may have set Servant of Osiris' points at zero, but his own effect now raises his attack and defense to thirty-three hundred!"

Drake grimaced, realizing that now Dalin had three monsters to work with again, including one that was stronger than any of his own monsters. _'I've still got my set cards, so I'm safe. His monsters are just as vulnerable to effects as mine are.'_

On the other side of the field Dalin had already drawn and taken a card from his grave. He slid the returned card back into his grave as he activated it. "Once more, Payment of Debt activates."

He slid three more cards off his deck, boosting Servant of Osiris forty-five hundred attack and defense points. "It's time to see what you have. Now, I activate See No Evil! During this turn you cannot activate face down cards."

Dalin noticed his opponent's fists clench tightly as energy bonds wrapped around his set cards, making it impossible for them to be used. Now it was just monster versus monster, and Dalin's was superior. "Three turns ago you removed Osiris from play. Osiris was once betrayed by Seth and chopped into pieces, but he always returns. Just as that is the case, so shall he now return!"

He held out one of the four cards of his hand and the sky above clouded up again, lightning striking down on the platform. "I play Descent of the Lord of the Dead! By sacrificing two monsters on my field I can permanently bring Saint Dragon Osiris back from the cemetery or out of play."

The two Holy Shine Spheres flew up into the clouds above, and a loud roar reached their hearing. For the second time in the duel the mighty lord of the dead descended from the clouds above, wrapping his giant form around the Duel Tower. "Saint Dragon Osiris(14000/14000) has returned!"

Drake kept himself calm even as the enormous god opened its maw, giving Drake a perfect view of the massive amounts of energy gathering within. "Now I attack your two monsters with Saint Dragon Osiris and Servant of Osiris!"

The two monsters attacked with a combined strength that would easily strip Drake of all of his life points. Drake took a deep breath and then waved his hand over his field, and suddenly both of his monsters vanished. "Like all magicians my monsters have tricks up their sleeves, including a disappearing act. But not to worry, they left a present in their place."

A card popped out of his deck and he threw it onto one of his monster zones. A huge man with a shining barrier of energy in one hand appeared, crouching in defense mode. "This is Chaos Defender(0/4000) who can be instantly summoned from my deck by removing two monsters on the field from the game!"

"He's just in the way!" Osiris' attack smashed into the Chaos Defender, and the energy barrier shattered just seconds before he did. Then the silver attack of Servant of Osiris hit Drake in the chest and forced him backwards. (DRLP: 1100)

Dalin slid a card onto his duel disk, reducing the attack power of his two monsters slightly. However, they were still both easily stronger than most monsters any duelist could unleash. Now it was Drake's turn to see if he could make another comeback. _'Back and forth, first I have the advantage, then he has it, then I have it, and now he has it again!'_

He held up the single card in his hand and then calmly placed it onto his duel disk. A black clad form appeared, holding a simple looking wand in one hand. "Chaos Apprentice(1600/1400) has spent many years trying to gain the sort of strength that his masters posses, and in moments thanks to Osiris he will gain that power!"

The muscular duelist frowned, realizing that he couldn't stop Osiris from using its effect. So he simply waited as Osiris launched its Summon Lightning Impact at Chaos Apprentice and blew it away. "Since Chaos Apprentice was destroyed I'll reintroduce you to Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)!"

Osiris instantly opened its second mouth and fired another blast. The blast hit the magician in the chest, but he stood fast even as his attack power was drained by two thousand points, reducing him to a meager level of eight hundred. "You didn't summon him for attacking did you?"

"Nope, I use his effect and return a magic card from the grave to my hand. Now go, Pulse of Chaos! Remove Saint Dragon Osiris from play again!" The same vortex from before appeared above Osiris' head and the giant dragon god began to be pulled upwards into it.

"I will hear nothing of this. I was prepared for such an attempt, so I activate Hear No Evil, my face down card. At a cost of a single discard I can negate any effect activated by the opponent. So your vortex fails." The vortex began to close, and Saint Dragon Osiris shook off its pull, slowly returning to its place.

"You may have been prepared for me, but I was also prepared for you! When I removed five cards from the game with Soul Theft I put a special card out of play, one that can be activated from the removed from play pile. I activate Chaos Flux!" Energy flowed from the clouds into the vortex, and once again it began to expand, drawing Saint Dragon Osiris into it.

"Normally Chaos Flux lets me remove one card in my hand from play to negate an effect, but if it exists out of play I can use it to negate an effect at no cost. So Hear No Evil fails...and Pulse of Chaos succeeds!" Saint Dragon Osiris' managed one final roar before it was drawn completely into the vortex and was closed up away in the removed from play pile.

With no more cards on the field and a single weak monster to work with, Drake had no choice but to end his turn. However, he was perfectly confident that his face down cards would protect him. "I draw."

"And then you activate Payment of Debt, I know." Dalin nodded and drew another three cards, once more giving him an impressive hand size of five cards. Nothing could stop Dalin from always having the cards he needed at this rate.

"I activate Emergency Restoration. I may shuffle any number of cards back into my deck from my hand to increase my life points by five hundred for each. So I return three cards and gain fifteen hundred attack points." He returned the three to his deck, leaving him with just one card in his hand. (DLP: 3300)

"Now I summon the final Servant of Osiris(3000/3000). The first one will now attack Black Magician of Chaos!" His monster launched its attack, but a rainbow barrier blocked it, and then flowed straight into Drake's duel disk. (DRLP: 4100)

"The first time I summoned Black Magician of Chaos I used it to bring back Mirage Magic, which I set face down. That let me once again negate one of your monster's attacks and increase my life points by its attack strength." Dalin nodded and then motioned to his remaining Servant, which raised its hand and fired its attack.

Drake grimaced as one of his best monsters was blown away by the attack, and since it had been in attack mode he also took a significant amount of damage. "Your Black Magician of Chaos was no match for Servant of Osiris." (DRLP: 1900)

Since Dalin had no more cards in his hand his turn was over. Now Drake was left with just one card face down and no hand. But at the same time he hardly seemed bothered by this. "It's time. Time to show you the power that is needed to stand strong against Eikyuu. Defeat me and this power will be granted to each of you, protecting you from him."

He drew, and the light around him began to dim. Everything was darkening, the light going out as it was all drawn into the card he now held in his hand. "I don't feel particularly orderly right now, so I guess you'll understand shortly."

Everyone watched as Drake took the card he had face down and held it up next to his newly drawn card. White light began to swirl around the two cards, and then a tendril of darkness swirled around them as well. "Heart of Darkness, Heart of Light. Time to combine them together!"

The two cards merged into one, and a Kanji symbol appeared in red flame on Drake's forehead, appearing strange as opposed to his green flame body. "Together in this situation they have created the Heart of Chaos! And now, this card creates for me a monster like no other. Come forth, Lord of Chaos(3000/3000)!"

A figure emerged from the card, its body covered by lines of black lightning and white lightning, keeping its actual appearance hidden from view. The energy creature snapped its fingers, and both duelist's disks began to glow. "Lord of Chaos now removes our cemeteries from play, and he'll remove your entire field from play as well!"

Dalin grimaced as his field vanished, leaving him completely open. "Lord of Chaos, attack Dalin directly!" Streams of black lightning and white lightning arced through Dalin's body, shocking him and burning him at the same type. When the attack ended he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily as steam rose up off his body. (DLP: 300)

"This is the power that you must defeat! If you can't beat me and the Lord of Chaos, then you can't beat Eikyuu! So get up and let's keep playing." Dalin rose back onto his feet and drew, power surging through his body as he did so.

"Card of Sanctity!" Both duelists snapped six cards off their decks, giving them full hands to work with. But the one with the immediate advantage was Dalin, because he could use his cards here and now.

"I activate the continuous magic card, Judgement of Ma'at!" A massive set of balancing scales appeared in front of him, dominating his now empty field. All of them watched it carefully, wondering what it could do.

"Now, by discarding Feather of Ma'at from my hand I can destroy one card on the opponent's field and increase my life points by its attack strength." Lord of Chaos appeared on one side of the balancing scales, and a pure white feather on the other. Lord of Chaos easily outweighed the feather, and he disappeared. (DLP: 3300)

"I summon Priest of Osiris(1500/1300) in attack mode. Now, Priest of Osiris shall attack you directly!" A man in fanciful white and purple robes appeared and raised a golden staff. A beam of white light fired from the tip of the staff, heading straight for Drake.

"You mistake Lord of Chaos for a normal monster. I discard a card from my hand and revive him in defense mode, automatically becoming the target of your attack!" The energy monster appeared crouching in defense, and the beam of energy bounced off of him and crashed into Dalin. (DLP: 1800)

"Your monster is truly impressive. So I believe I'll set two cards face down and end my turn." Two cards appeared beside the giant balance scales, potentially protecting him from the Lord of Chaos' attack.

Drake snapped a card off his deck and then immediately slid two cards from his hand into the graveyard. "By discarding two cards from my hand Lord of Chaos can remove your entire field and hand from play!"

Energy began to consume Dalin's field, but one of his two face down cards flipped up. "You have triggered the anger of the gods. Reveal Divine Wrath! I shall discard one card from my hand to negate Lord of Chaos' effect and destroy it!"

Holy light shone down from the sky above, and Lord of Chaos was blown apart by it. Dalin slid the last card in his hand into the cemetery, and stood patiently awaiting the next move. Drake frowned and slid a card into his graveyard. "I discard a card to revive Lord of Chaos in defense mode. Now, I discard two to remove your field from play!"

Lord of Chaos appeared again, and a vortex then showed up above Dalin's field. However, Dalin didn't seem bothered by this. "It is time. I activate my Priest's effect. Now I take one card that went from my hand to the cemetery and place it on my field, while placing one card that went from my field to the grave into my hand."

A card returned to his hand while a new card appeared face down on his field. Drake frowned, not quite seeing what this was going to accomplish. All he had done was set the card he had discarded and get back Divine Wrath. "Priest's ability also allows the newly set card to be activated immediately, so I activate the card I discarded. A second Divine Wrath!"

Drake gasped in horror as his Lord of Chaos was blown apart by the effect of Dalin's counter trap. Then Dalin immediately took two cards from his grave and placed one onto the field and one into his hand. _'I see. He's got a great lock there, because he just needs to discard a Divine Wrath for a Divine Wrath and then he'll immediately get both back. Monster effects are blocked.'_

"I set one card face down. End." He frowned, realizing he had just emptied his entire hand in an effort to clear Dalin's field, yet he hadn't succeeded. Dalin was proving to be perhaps the most formidable opponent he had ever faced.

Dalin took his newly drawn card and placed it on his disk next to his priest. Immediately a woman in identical garb appeared next to the priest. "Priestess of Osiris(1500/1300) in attack mode. Now I shall send one card from my hand and one card from my field to the grave in order to draw two cards."

He picked up two new cards off his deck, and then his Priest started to glow. Two cards shot out of his graveyard and he immediately placed one on the field and one back in his hand. "These two monsters work perfectly in unison, for when Priestess sends cards to the grave they immediately return thanks to the Priest. Now, Priest attacks!"

"Go face down card, Hope of Dreams! I get to draw one card for each monster on your field and special summon a monster from out of play in defense mode for one turn! That monster will block the attack!" He drew twice, and then smirked as a giant red head drifted down to block the Priest's attack. The massive form of Osiris now rested on Drake's side of the field. (DLP: 1300)

Dalin frowned and folded his arms, showing that his turn was over. Drake drew, giving him three cards in his hand. He glanced at one of them, and then immediately slapped it down. "Chaos Priest(800/400) in defense mode. When summoned I can special summon one monster from out of play. So I think Osiris will be my weapon!"

"I activate Divine Wrath and discard Divine Wrath, immediately returning them to their places." Drake nodded, his priest shattering under the power of Dalin's trap card loop. But to Dalin's surprise Drake looked happy about this.

"When destroy Chaos Priest is removed from play. Since that was a different effect you didn't get the chance to negate it. And at that same instant I can take five cards from out of play and return them to my deck." Five cards appeared in his hand and then he shuffled them into his deck.

"Now I set these two cards face down. Back to you Dalin." Now all that was between Dalin and Drake were two face down cards. But Dalin was well aware that a large factor of danger from Drake came from his magic and trap cards. With a combination of deadly monsters he became a truly deadly duelist.

Dalin drew, but before he could do anything Drake had already activated a set card. "Here's my trap card, Drifting Towards Nothingness! This instantly removes all cards on both of our fields and hands from the game until the end of my next turn!"

A massive vortex appeared above them and pulled all of the cards they had into it, leaving both of them with barren hands and fields. "Since I cannot play anything, my turn is over."

Drake frowned at his newest card, but shrugged and threw it onto his disk. "I was hoping to finish it now, but this will just have to do. Go, Messenger of Chaos(1200/900)! This monster can be considered at any time to not be in play and I can pay half of my life points to return all cards from out of play back to our decks. At the same time I get to bring back one card of mine that was removed in the last two turns."

A single card appeared face down behind his Messenger of Chaos, and both duelists shuffled every single one of their out of play cards back into their decks. "Messenger of Chaos, attack Dalin directly!" The blast caught Dalin in the side, dropping him to one knee. (DLP: 100)

Dalin drew, but just as before Drake was busy activating his face down card. "By considering Messenger of Chaos out of play I can activate my face down card! Sealed Life is a counter trap that only works when I have no other cards on my field and it prevents you from playing any cards onto the field from your hand this turn!"

Azure looked away, realizing what had just happened. She should have known that it was impossible for anyone to pass the Trials. Always even those that got closest failed in the final challenge. As far as she was considered it was as if the game were rigged, but she knew that to not be the case. _'They have failed the Trials, he has lost. Without the ability to play any cards it is over.'_

Drake and Dalin stared at each other for several moments, and then finally Dalin spoke. "We both played well, and in the end only one duelist could win. But you should know by now that I do not lose. Now, I discard Spirit of Ammut from my hand in order to special summon a certain monster from my deck."

Drake gasped as a behemoth of a monster appeared on the dueling platform, its body a mix of deadly creatures. He could feel its power as well, and he knew what was coming. "Daisuke, this is Ammut the Devourer of Souls(2800/2300). Once per turn she removes a monster on the field from play and increases her attack by five hundred."

Ammut roared and clamped its massive jaws around the Messenger, consuming it whole. Its power rose to an impressive thirty-three hundred and it now was staring down Drake. Drake lowered his head, and then raised it again, smiling at Dalin. "You're the best duelist I know, and sooner or later we'll get a chance to duel again. When we do, I'll walk away the victor. Until then, congratulations. You've passed the Trials."

"Ammut, attack him directly!" Energy crashed into the phantom Drake's chest, and the roaring noise of the attack completely drowned out all else, including the sound of shifting life points. Then Ammut faded away, and the holographic projectors shut down. (DRLP: 0)

"Congratulations all of you, and I wish you luck against Eikyuu. You've succeeded in the Trials, and now the power of the Heart of Chaos will join with each of you, protecting you all from Eikyuu's power. It's time for you all to move on and to face the final challenge. Eikyuu awaits." He smiled one last time, and then his emerald fire body faded away, leaving no trace that he had ever been there.

The Duel Tower that they had been on faded away just as Drake had, and they found themself standing in the middle of the Madison Square Gardens arena, exactly where they had left. As one they turned to face the east, knowing what awaited them. "It's time. Eikyuu awaits."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: What? Did you all think that such a long awaited duel would end in a single chapter? Ha! Now all that remains is Eikyuu.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Maybe was right. Drake couldn't defeat the combo, but he could save himself.

The White Mage: See, don't underestimate it. They got more duel time than originally thought by most.

WolfGeneral: We are indeed at end game now. The Trials mini-arc is officially over.

Time Mage: I understand that you are the sole member of Sumatinism, a religion that worships Dalin Sumatin, but what you just said was purely ignorant. Had you actually read the duel through anything other than rose colored lenses you would have noticed that both duelists shifted back and forth with control. Did you not see Dalin being forced to simply preserve Jupiter? Did you not notice that neither duelist was every really caught off guard? Did you not notice how Dalin had to use his full power to take down Drake? Dalin is not WAY superior to Drake. So Mr. Sumatinite, I'd appreciate it if you did not completely ignore the happenings of a chapter just so you can say that Dalin is even better. Both are skilled duelists, and neither is necessarily superior to the other. Simply winning a duel does not determine completer superiority, especially in this case when it was so close.

That is all for my rant.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Drake: Sage of Everlasting Light, Protection of the Destined, Sunset Magician, Soul Theft, Chaos Magic Vortex, Pulse of Chaos, Chaos Magician Girl, Chaos Mirror, Chaos Scepter Blast, Chaos Renewal, Chaos Defender, Chaos Apprentice, Chaos Flux, Heart of Light, Heart of Darkness, Heart of Chaos, Lord of Chaos, Hope of Dreams, Chaos Priest, Drifting Towards Nothingness, Messenger of Chaos, Sealed Life

Dalin: Payment of Debt, Servant of Osiris, Hand Stasis Field, Summon Lightning Impact, Osirian Necromancer, Descent of the Lord of the Dead, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Emergency Restoration, Judgement of Ma'at, Feather of Ma'at, Priest of Osiris, Priestess of Osiris, Spirit of Ammut, Ammut the Devourer of Souls


	39. The Destiny That Awaits Us

Author's Notes: Here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for over the past thirty-eight chapters. The final showdown with Eikyuu begins now!

_**Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Destiny That Awaits Us**_

Misuno and AB stopped directly in front the United Nations building. At the entrance to each doorway there was a posting of four armed guards, and patrolling the area around the building were men with assault rifles and tanks. Neither ancient spirit seemed worried.

"You there! This is a restricted area, so I suggest you move along immediately." Misuno frowned and looked up as a jeep pulled in beside them, a man in a scarlet body suit with black stripes on the shoulders glaring down at him.

"Get out of the way, I have business with your master." The soldier blinked as a golden staff was shoved in his face, the tip of it glowing. He tried to issue the order for his men to open fire, but something burned into his body and he collapsed.

"If the rest of you don't leave immediately I will be forced to destroy your very souls, just as I did with this fellow. Now stand aside!" The soldiers cast glances at each other, none of them exactly certain about how to react. Slowly they came to a conclusion and swung their weapons around to point directly at the ancient spirit.

AB placed a hand on Misuno's shoulder, but her brother simply shrugged it off. "So you have chosen complete demise have you? Then so be it!" Screams filled the area for a few brief moments as the jeep exploded, the gas tanks detonated by magic that was older than any existing nation.

"Now this will just attract their attention, something we didn't need." Misuno rolled his eyes at his sister's pacifism, something that had annoyed him for the past millennium. After all their experiences witnessing events from within the staff she had chosen to renounce violence, while he had grown more violent.

"I really don't care. In fact, I'll end this right now. I'll gather all my power together and consume the United Nations Building and all that is within, including Eikyuu, in an endless shadow. Let's see if the God of Order can escape the Sea of Dirac!" Chuckling darkly he raised the staff above his head and began to gather primal energies into it, directing them towards the building.

His sister frowned, knowing that this act would cost many lives, but also knowing that she couldn't stop him. It was also perhaps their best chance to end the threat of Eikyuu before it went any farther than it already was. "So it has come to this…"

She closed her eyes as the ground in front of them began to darken as a shadow spread out. Its expansion was steady, and it was quickly approaching the nearest group of Eikyuu's men. The soldiers leveled their weapons at the siblings and began approaching. "Fools! The Sea of Dirac will swallow you all!"

True to his word, the shadow that Misuno was creating swept under the men's feet and they began to sink into it. The shadow passed under a tank and it too began to drift underneath the eternal shadow. As a last ditch effort the tank fired one shot directly at the siblings. "I will not allow you to harm us."

AB raised her right arm and the high-powered shell exploded violently a dozen feet in front of them, detonated by her magic. The fire itself was pulled into the growing Sea of Dirac, proving that nothing that came into contact with it could escape its grasp. "Ten minutes, I estimate ten minutes before the entrance to the Sea of Dirac is too expansive for even Eikyuu to escape from."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Within the United Nations Building the priests worked frantically on the ritual, adding more power to it. They knew of the activity going on outside and hoped to progress it as far as possible before anything happened to disrupt them. "Great Lord Eikyuu, we still cannot complete the ritual without two more Hearts of Man!"

The giant humanoid that was Eikyuu turned his head towards the priests. They shivered as his terrible prismatic and empty gaze brushed over them. "There is no point in panic. The Fallen are at this very moment carrying out their purpose and bringing the Hearts of Man to me. Soon the ritual will be completed, and my purpose will be fulfilled."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin, Kirani, Hikari, and Azure all stood around Takuya. He had his eyes closed, and was deep in focus. "Are you sure this will work? You said that you've never tried to move other people through shadows like the powers of the Knight of Darkness allow you to."

"Maybe under normal circumstances I'd be worried, but for some reason the entire area is shadowed. We should be able to exit the shadows close to the building itself. I can't magic us into the building though, there's some kind of barrier." The others nodded, accepting his expertise in the matter. They knew that with their faces this well known it was the only way they could get to the building undetected.

"Let's do this! Our destiny is waiting for us on the other end!" And as one they stepped into the shadow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group stepped out of the shadow and into a war zone. Dalin immediately pushed them behind him and raised a barrier of silver energy, protecting them from the wild gunfire that was blazing around them.

Everywhere that the eye could see soldiers in the uniform of Eikyuu's army were running for their lives, screaming and firing blindly at something that from their line of sight couldn't be seen. Explosions rocked the ground as dozens of tanks fired their deadly weapons and soldiers launched RPGs at their still hidden enemy.

When the enemy came into view the group gasped in shock. Hundreds of different monsters swarmed out from an alleyway and came down upon a troop of the soldiers, ripping them to pieces in seconds. Bloody chunks were all that was left as the swarm of demonic creatures moved on.

The group's attention was brought back down to earth when a muffled sob met their ears. They turned and found Azure slumping back up against the wall behind them, her hands clutching her stomach where crimson fluid streamed out from between her fingers. Kirani and Hikari immediately went to her. "Azure…you were shot."

"I noticed. This magic I feel, it's shadow magic, the magic of Ancient Egypt." Dalin nodded, having recognized it himself. Slowly he stepped out of the barrier, causing it to ripple briefly before reforming in place.

"These monsters are tactically inefficient; they are simply targeting the soldiers and causing chaos instead of striking towards the main goal. In other words, they are a distraction. They will serve our purpose as well, so now is the time that we must move and reach our destiny." He started walking in the direction of the United Nations building, but stopped abruptly.

"This power…what is it?" The others approached cautiously, Kirani and Hikari supporting Azure between them. They found Dalin standing at the edge of what looked like a shadow, but was infinitely darker. It spread out in front of them for hundreds of yards, and there was no trace of anything resembling civilization or humanity where it reached. There wasn't even a traffic sign in sight, and they knew they were in the middle of a street.

All that was part of the street simply ended at the beginning of this shadow, and when they looked out farther they saw that the massive United Nations Building itself was sinking into the shadow. "This power is that of infinite space, infinite nothing. A universe within a space of zero mass. This is the Sea of Dirac."

Floating above them, surrounded by a golden barrier, were two distinct figures. One looked like Autumn, but her face appeared older and wiser. The other looked like Kai, but his eyes had a dark look to them that Kai's had never shown and he was holding the Millennium Staff. He had spoken. "Welcome all to the final end of this bastard Eikyuu. Had you idiots let me out before this I could have dealt with him before there was troubling, merely by consuming everything around him in a Sea of Dirac, my ultimate power."

"But…what about the people? Surely there were people in this area!" The Kai look-alike smirked in response to Hikari's question, and the girl who looked like Autumn just turned away. Dalin frowned slightly but made no comment.

"I recognize your energy signature. That would make you Misuno wouldn't it?" The Kai look-alike responded with a slight nod of the head, the bulk of his attention remaining on maintaining the Sea of Dirac. By now it had consumed roughly half of the United Nations Building.

Azure pulled away from Hikari and Kirani, her hands still clutching the wound in her stomach. "You're a fool Misuno or whoever you are. You cannot stop Eikyuu with a physics theory, even if it is real. He is beyond normal mortal magics and now the only thing that can combat him is the Hearts of Man!"

"No. Not even the Hearts of Man pose a threat, for their purpose will soon be negated." A cold, deep voice ripped their attention away from each other and to the center of the shadows in front of them. Standing directly on top of the shadow was a massive humanoid figure in scarlet robes. In place of a face the behemoth of a person had a white mask with a red half over the right eye. It wasn't sinking into the Sea of Dirac.

Somehow they knew without a shadow of a doubt who this was. In one collective voice they expressed this realization. "Eikyuu."

"You have surmised correctly. Now, this assault on my capital shall end." A brief light flared up around Eikyuu and the shadows were all pulled into one point, and vanished. In a single second with minimal effort Eikyuu had undone all that Misuno had attempted to do.

"Impossible...nothing should have been able to stop the Sea of Dirac!" Eikyuu ignored Misuno and instead swept his gaze across the utter pandemonium that had been incited by Misuno in order to distract the soldiers from his efforts.

"This chaos that you have created cannot continue to exist. Therefor it too shall end." Again his body took on a ethereal glow, and just as quickly as he had vanquished the Sea of Dirac, all the monsters blinked out of existence. The power of Misuno was simply nothing next to the might of Eikyuu.

The group of seven staggered out in a semi-circle around Eikyuu, each of them facing him and preparing for a potential assault. Azure pushed forwards, standing directly in front of the god. "Eikyuu, my family has long sought to keep this world safe from people like you. So understand that today will be your final day!"

For the first time since he had appeared before them the god's attention went specifically to one of them. Azure backed up a step the moment his strange eyes met hers, and for the first time in her life she felt truly afraid. "Azure Levis. There is no Heart of Man within you, for such a thing is impossible for the one who wields the Tempus Astrum. However, these ones have undergone the Trials and that was your purpose. Do you understand what this means?"

She felt her body weakening, the blood loss taking its toll on her. She pressed one hand tighter against her belly, desperately trying to stem the flow of her blood. The others realized a moment too late exactly what Eikyuu meant, but Azure had known since the moment she started this what would happen when she confronted Eikyuu. "It means I no longer have a purpose."

"At last, one of you understands. Very well, you have accepted the inevitability of it. With no purpose, you are nothing. You're a useless shell and must be discarded." Time seemed to slow as Eikyuu reached out for her. Azure could see the others charging in towards Eikyuu, hoping to stop him. But in the end she knew that they would be too late.

His massive hand closed around her face, blocking her view of the rest of the world. He squeezed with his gloved hand and time returned to its normal state for everyone involved. All of the remaining members of the Fallen were unable to do anything but watch as he crushed her skull like a melon. The headless corpse of Azure Levis fell limply to the ground.

"Bastard!" Kirani threw her entire weight behind the punch and it landed directly against his masked face. His head didn't even budge. Her eyes widened as he slapped her aside with one massive arm, sending her sliding across the cement.

"Don't make a move against him. None of us can harm Eikyuu." At Dalin's word the others chose not to continue their attack. Even Misuno, who normally wouldn't have listened, was forced to agree. If Eikyuu could stop the Sea of Dirac with such ease then none of them stood a chance.

Before anyone else could say anything Takuya stepped up, a fierce look in his eyes. "We may not be able to harm you, but all we need to do is get past you and into that building. Then we'll stop your ritual before it is completed!"

The others shot confused looks at him, uncertain what he was talking about. Eikyuu looked down at him, and Takuya could have sworn the god was frowning at him. "The Knight of Darkness. Only you are not D'harim, you are the human. Do you even understand what the Ritual of Falling Stars is intended to do?"

"I know to a degree, I heard the priests talk. D'harim knew as well, and so therefor I know. The Ritual of Falling Stars, an ancient ritual created to manipulate the Hearts of Man in order to take from mankind 'that which is most precious'. What I couldn't figure out and what D'harim didn't know is what that is." Two people stepped past him, and to his surprise it was Misuno and AB.

Misuno spoke, his voice solid but with a slight quaver in it, as if he was holding back his fear. "That which is most sacred, it is simply a mistranslation. The ancient language of the Cult of Infinity, the cult which worshiped this bastard. The word is Kyi-tsaruti. It means free will. That is what the Ritual of Falling Stars does, it strips mankind of its free will."

A heavy weight descended on the group as they understood at last what it was all about. The reason Eikyuu's men had deliberately attempted to release the Hearts of Man. The reason that he hadn't cared whether his own Knights lost or whether they lost. Dalin felt anger brewing within him, something that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"The essence of absolute order...for there can never be true order while mankind has free will. You can never exert your power completely over the people of Earth until you have stripped us all of our free will. It is free will that makes us chaotic, that separates us from your order." Eikyuu tilted his head to one side, looking over at Dalin.

"I have been impressed by you. You are a perfectly ordered person and clever as well. Perhaps you will consider becoming one of my priests." Dalin gave no reply, merely glared at the god. Once again the group could have sworn the blank mask was frowning.

"You refuse? Very well, now I shall have to take the Hearts of Man from you in order to complete the Ritual of Falling Stars. Or you may simply relinquish them to me of your own...free will." He let the question hang in the air, waiting for a response.

"You can take your offer and go shove it up your ass! If you've got one that is. I'd rather die than give you the chance to strip mankind's free will away!" Eikyuu now turned to focus on Kirani, whose fury was focused on him.

"Your offer is acceptable. However, I believe that in your own human terminology I have a card up my sleeve. Kirani Kajika, you possess the Heart of Love. Grant me the Heart of Love and I shall restore your one love, Daisuke Ihachi." This stopped her in her tracks, and her anger faded, becoming replaced by confusion.

'_If I accept then Drake will come back...but if I accept won't that be potentially dooming us all? But then again, if he comes back we'll have a better chance of taking on Eikyuu. Surely just one Heart of Man can't doom us.'_ She felt her heart twist in knots as conflict between her emotions and her logic arose.

Next Eikyuu's gaze turned towards Dalin. Before Eikyuu even had a chance to speak the angel duelist butted in. "Don't even bother. In fact, I have a proposition for you, one similar to that which I gave to your precious Trinity."

"A duel? You would wish to combat me in this primitive game of yours in which the stakes include your Hearts of Man? If that were to be the case, then what is the collateral. What is it you would wish of me." Dalin glanced back at the corpse of Azure, and then towards the confused Kirani. Next he looked towards Misuno and AB, who possessed the bodies of Kai and Autumn.

"The Hearts of Man will be restored to us if you lose, every last one of them, along with the people who they belonged to. It won't stop you, and you still have a chance to take them back. So in reality, the one who truly benefits from this deal is you." Eikyuu cocked his head to one side as if considering the proposition.

"Your primitive game becomes the method of determining the fate of mankind. You wish to see which is stronger, your Chaos or my Order. To combat the forces of Chaos is my purpose in this existence, therefor I cannot refuse. I will play your game." Dalin exhaled the breath he had been holding, and focused himself. This would be it.

Dalin raised his left arm and triggered the duel disk, which snapped out and into place. It lit up as its activation was indicated and he slid his deck into it. The life point counters started to rise until they were fully in place. "A duel for the fate of mankind. And if we must represent Chaos, then it is ironic that we fight as one. The power of Chaos is what shields us from your power. Now it shall assist us in defeating you!" (DLP: 4000)

"He's right, although we may technically be the force of Chaos in this battle we fight together. Think you can take more than one duelist, or are you not up to that challenge?" Kirani stepped up beside Dalin, her own duel disk clicking into position. She placed her deck into the holder and glared at Eikyuu as her points rose to maximum. (KLP: 4000)

"Bah! I'm hardly interested in these idiots, but I just now got a body and I really don't like you. So I'll crush you just to get this over with. Prepare yourself Eikyuu, because now you face the skill of Misuno in a duel!" The ancient spirit also prepared his deck and his duel disk, stepping into position in the line-up. Eikyuu simply watched them in silence. (MLP: 4000)

"I may not always agree with my brother, but in this case I do. You're a threat to the world, just because of how precious free will is to human beings. Over three thousand years ago I lost my true free will, and I understand what it's like to be without it. I won't allow that to happen to anyone else, so I'll defeat you!" AB took a deep breath and activated her own duel disk, ready to begin as soon as possible. (ALP: 4000)

"I made the mistake of giving in to power and I caused pain and suffering beyond anything I knew existed. Even though it was D'harim who made the actual actions, it was my actions that made it possible. So I intend to truly pay for that pain by assisting in your defeat. That is my atonement!" Takuya raised his arm and his duel disk flipped into its activated position. He stepped forwards, making himself part of the line that was too stand against Eikyuu. (TLP: 4000)

Hikari frowned briefly, but steeled her resolve and also stepped up to become part of the line. She too activated her duel disk and prepared her deck, knowing that this would be the most important thing she would ever be involved in. "If this is what my destiny is, I'm going to accept that. But the thing I want to discover before this is over is whether I have a destiny, or if it's all of my doing. I want to know the truth, so I'll duel with all my heart and soul to discover that answer!" (HLP: 4000)

There was a brief pause as Eikyuu looked at each of them in turn. Somehow it seemed that he was measuring each of them in the brief seconds that his eyes met theirs. It was like he was looking into the deepest depths of their souls. This was the power that he possessed, and only the strength granted to them from the Trials and the Heart of Chaos prevented them from succumbing.

"There will be no risk of a stray attack harming my capital and disrupting the Ritual of Falling Stars. This duel will take place in my ancestral birth place, where I was first conceived of in this form. The place in which I was born as a god." The whole group felt weak-kneed as the world around them flickered and started to change as Eikyuu transported them to the place he spoke of.

When the world returned to normal they were forced to steady themselves as icy cold winds whipped over their bodies. As far as the eye could see was white and particles of snow drifted down around them. Kirani stared incredulously around the area, and decided to ask what was on her mind. "To become a god wouldn't people have to worship you and form an image of you? Who the hell could have lived here?"

"They were a crude people, barely worthy of any notice, worse even than your society. They had no name for themselves, and speech was limited for them. Language was a relatively new concept, and this tribe did not have a steady language yet. They traveled as a group, hunting large hairy creatures for food." All of them but Misuno and AB recognized the description as the mammoths, meaning that Eikyuu had been born as a god during the Ice Age when humans first got a foot hold.

"How about a lesson in really ancient history later, and a duel now? Let's get this damned thing over with!" Misuno snapped five cards off his deck, ready to get going. Desparately trying to shield themselves from the cold Kirani, Hikari, and Takuya did the same. However, neither Misuno, AB, nor Dalin seemed to be bothered by the cold.

Eikyuu held up his hand, and five glowing blue cards appeared in it. Then a sixth one appeared, showing that he was going to be taking the first turn. "I believe based on your rules that in a multi-person duel that no player is allowed to attack on the first turn. Therefor I end." (ELP: 4000)

Choosing to go next, Dalin slipped a card off his duel disk and contemplated what move to make. There were only a few moves available to him at the moment, so it wasn't a difficult decision. "This will begin in the next round. Now, I activate Justice Unleashed!"

A glowing ritual pot appeared on the field in front of him, waiting for an offering. "I must discard seven levels of monsters in order to ritual summon my next creature. So I discard Jupiter, Angel of Life in order to unleash Sol, Angel of Justice(1900/1900)!"

Energy pulsed within the ritual pot and soon a creature appeared. It was the same beautiful woman with covered eyes that had been his trump card in his battle against Nikolas. "Each turn I can discard one light type from my hand to activate one of the three abilities of Sol. During this turn I discard Ascending Man(500/1200) to gain one thousand life points."

Light flowed into Dalin's duel disk as Sol fortified his life points with a decent boost. At the same time he took a monster from his hand and slid it into his cemetery. _'My full power, I will not unleash you until I know of Eikyuu's power.'_ (DLP: 5000)

"Now, I activate my field magic card. Sanctuary of the Sky!" He slapped his field card into the side slot of his disk, and behind them the heavenly structure began to assemble. Soon a massive building of almost Greek architecture was perched directly behind them with little angels darting in and out of it. Its heavenly glow provided a much needed warmth to them all.

"That is all for my turn. End!" He left himself with three cards in his hand, and waiting to see exactly what sort of moves that Eikyuu would make. There was no chance that the god wasn't up to something, since simply passing your turn without doing anything was beyond amateurish, it was stupid.

Kirani drew, knowing it would be hard to top that kind of move. But at the very least she would show Eikyuu that she wasn't one to be fooled with. "I summon Berserker Gilford(3000/0) in attack mode!"

A brute of a monster, with an enormous buster sword that was caked with dried blood, formed from the snow in front of her feet. It glared at Eikyuu, who didn't seem to notice the creature at all. "I set one card face down and that's my turn!"

Misuno looked over his hand and just barely kept himself from grimacing. _'Horrible way to start the duel. I'll have to play defensively for the moment'_

He selected three cards from his hand and put them into place, two slid into the disk and another set. "I set two cards face down and place a monster in defense mode. Standard opening move as I'm sure you're aware. End turn."

AB drew and then immediately slid her new card onto her duel disk. "I start my turn by playing the continuous magic card Breath of Life. Now during each of our standby phases we all gain two hundred life points."

The others looked at her uncertainly, surprised at her actions. Although it would help them gain life points it would also assist Eikyuu, even if barely. That was something they didn't want to do. "Now I set a monster in defense mode and place one magic or trap card face down. I'm finished."

Now that it was Takuya's turn the warrior had every intention of showing that he too was ready to make this duel count. "I start by summoning Quarter Knight(1900/700) in attack mode!"

An armored knight formed from the snow, a twisted look on his face as he stretched his spiked armor. A distinctive heart shaped tattoo was prevalent on his left cheek and his hair was brown in a military style cut. "Quarter Knight's special ability is a doozy, so just watch our for this one."

He blinked in surprise as he felt his body suddenly warm up, and then as he saw the glow from AB's magic card he understood why. "Also, since my standby phase passed I gain two hundred life points from the effect of Breath of Life." (TLP: 4200)

Finally he placed one card face down, which appeared behind his knight. "That card goes face down, and then I'll end my turn. I don't see any reason why I should over commit on the first turn. Got to work on resource management for a duel like this."

The final player started her turn, and energy flowed into Hikari's duel disk, warming her up just as it had for Takuya. "Just like Takuya I gain life points because of AB's magic card. Thanks AB." She flashed a smile at the other girl, who gave her a nod in return. (HLP: 4200)

"Here's my move. I summon Medusa the Mythical Gorgon(1200/1900) in defense mode!" A woman with blue skin and hair of green serpents appeared on her field in a crouched position, her hair hissing at Eikyuu.

"This girl's gaze is so deadly that nothing can look directly into it and come out as the same again. In mythology she was one of the challenges that Perseus had to face in his quest to save his love from the dreaded Kraken. The head of Medusa was needed, but don't think her head is easy to get." Eikyuu didn't seem to care about her explanation of the monster's history, so she decided to get on with it.

"Since you're such a spoil sport I just set two cards face down. Now let's see exactly what you can do Eikyuu. Remember, we're all fighting with our all, so don't think you can go easy on us and not get crushed." Still there was no response from the god. Instead a blue card simply appeared in his hand.

Eikyuu fanned his hand out and then selected one of the cards. He held it out and it vanished from his hand. However, the ground beneath them began to shake as the card he had played took effect. "I activate Awakening of Gods. This card totals the stars of the opponent's monsters and cuts that number in half. I may then special summon monsters from my deck with an equal or lesser level."

Twenty-six bright lights flew overhead in a circle, going faster and faster with each second. Then they all shot straight into the ground, and it ruptured open, burning the ground as two figures started to rise from the opening. "Half of twenty-six is thirteen, and together my two monsters have twelve stars."

Two huge creatures rose from the ground, each one bigger than any monster on the field, even Berserker Gilford. One of them wore pure blue armor and had a sword that seemed to be on fire. "This is a level four monster, known as Divine Soldier(1800/1800)."

The second monster was even larger, and was far more disturbing. The left half of it was female, and would have been considered attractive if it weren't for the second half. The right side of the monster was that of a corpse, flesh rotted away to show brown and black rot within. "This is a level eight called God of Necromancy(1600/1600)."

Dalin frowned, beginning to see the implications. If he was right, then they were in trouble. "Divine Soldier raises the attack and defense power of God of Necromancy by four hundred." Energy flowed between the two, increasing the disturbing monster's power.

"Now, you must appease the gods themselves. I activate Cry of Supplication, which forces each opposing player to sacrifice three monsters from their decks as an appeasement to forestall the wrath of the gods." Each of the other six duelists searched through their decks and discarded the three monsters that they wanted to discard.

"Cry of Supplication prevents me from attacking during this turn. Now I set two cards face down and declare the completion of my turn." Two cards vanished from his hand and appeared behind the huge monsters, one behind each.

Dalin reached for his next card, knowing that great challenges awaited them in this duel. Somehow he knew that Eikyuu would be no ordinary duelist, just like Daisuke had implied. He would have to be cautious when confronting Eikyuu in this duel. "I gain two hundred life points." (DLP: 5200)

'_This duel is just now beginning. Against Eikyuu, normal strategies will not suffice. Caution is absolutely necessary, and prior planning is also required. There can be no mistakes, or this entire duel will collapse on us.'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In a place beyond normal perception three figures watched the duel as it progressed. Each one had different reasons for watching and a different interest in it. "I know you guys are strong duelists, I know you can beat Eikyuu. I know it."

Drake clenched his fists, watching fitfully as Dalin started his turn. Although he was unable to physically be there and support the duel he felt that he could still support them like this. Of course he was the only one who thought it would help. "If you're gonna be doing that the whole duel I'll have to come over there and kick your ass."

"You wish short shrift. With or without your new magical powers I can kick your ass, so don't make ME come over there." Violet eyes clashed with blue eyes as the two men struggled with their wills against each other. A third person groaned pounded his head against the wall just to drown them out.

"None of us are here by our own free will, so why don't you two shut up and just watch." The third person, who refused to face the others, had generally been watching in silence. Most of his focus was on the duelist who had just started his turn.

Taichi turned away from Drake and glared at their third companion. "I'll do whatever I so please Nikolas. After all, I outrank you even now. In each and every way." He snickered, drawing a glare from Nick's single eye.

Drake glanced down at the duel below, and frowned briefly. There was something odd going on, something that he couldn't explain. There was something unusual about this duel. "I've got a bad feeling about this duel."

"Perhaps you wish that you could help, is that it?" The three of them whirled around, and found themselves facing a handsome youth who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was dressed very casually in a hoody with the hood up and jeans, so he hardly looked impressive. The only thing impressive about him were his brilliant blue eyes, which were roughly the color of a robin's egg.

Taichi sneered at the newcomer and gathered a sphere of wind in his hand. "And who might you be?"

"I am simply a benefactor who wants to see Eikyuu fall just as much as the three of you, if for a different reason than yours. I offer a chance to the strongest of the three of you, for whichever one that is will be able to return to Earth and assist." The strange man grinned, waiting for their response.

Nick narrowed his one eye at the man. "So we have to prove our strength? And how exactly would we do that?"

"Simple, for my amusement and to help me decide, I want you to duel. All three of you against each other. Won't that be fun?" The three duelists cast glances at each other, sparks flying between them. Each of them wanted to get back to Earth, both to be alive and to take down Eikyuu. There reasons were all different, but they still had the same goal.

As one duel disks appeared on their arms, decks already in place. They drew five cards and positioned themselves in a sort of triangle, and then they were ready to begin. The stranger snapped one hand into the air, a big smirk on his face. "DUEL!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: It feels strange that I have reached this place, a point which I have been heading towards for a long time now. Something like a year. It feels good to be here, knowing that I'm reaching the conclusion to this story. Hope you'll continue to enjoy it.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: And your question on AB and Misuno got answered. Ta-Da!

The White Mage: As you can see this is what awaits them.

WolfGeneral: Sorry, can't say at the moment. You'll have to wait on that.

Time Mage: Dalin's deck is a Soul Deck, so it can change between angels and his other deck. As for those monsters you mentioned, you'll have to wait and see.

VoidTemplar: That was the real Drake, only in a sort of avatar form, as in it wasn't his body but it was his spirit. Just like Time Mage you'll have to wait on the Dalin deck thing. Also, thanks for the compliment.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Dalin: Justice Unleashed, Jupiter-Angel of Life, Sol-Angel of Justice

Kirani: Berserker Gilford

AB: Breath of Life

Takuya: Quarter Knight

Hikari: Medusa the Mythical Gorgon

Eikyuu: Awakening of Gods, Divine Soldier, God of Necromancy, Cry of Supplication


	40. Might of Divinity

Author's Notes: On to part two of the final challenge.

_**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Might of Divinity**_

"_Now, you must appease the gods themselves. I activate Cry of Supplication, which forces each opposing player to sacrifice three monsters from their decks as an appeasement to forestall the wrath of the gods." Each of the other six duelists searched through their decks and discarded the three monsters that they wanted to discard._

"_Cry of Supplication prevents me from attacking during this turn. Now I set two cards face down and declare the completion of my turn." Two cards vanished from his hand and appeared behind the huge monsters, one behind each. _

_Dalin reached for his next card, knowing that great challenges awaited them in this duel. Somehow he knew that Eikyuu would be no ordinary duelist, just like Daisuke had implied. He would have to be cautious when confronting Eikyuu in this duel. "I gain two hundred life points." (DLP: 5200)_

'_This duel is just now beginning. Against Eikyuu, normal strategies will not suffice. Caution is absolutely necessary, and prior planning is also required. There can be no mistakes, or this entire duel will collapse on us.'_

"Eikyuu, I activate the continuous magic card A Gathering of Angels! As long as this card is in play I may forfeit my draw phase to add an angel from my deck to my hand. Also, if I have forfeited my draw phase I am allowed to sacrifice five hundred of my life points to draw a card!" A card with a green border shimmered into view, depicting Mars, Saturn, and three Holy Shine Spheres flying around the Sanctuary.

Eikyuu didn't react, he merely waited since Dalin couldn't use the effect of A Gathering of Angels this turn. "Now, I activate the second effect of Sol, by discarding a Holy Shine Sphere I will increase Sol's attack and defense by five hundred points!"

A white glow appeared around the beautiful female angel and her attack and defense points rose in accordance with her own effect. "Now, for the final card in my hand. Seraphim Gunner(1800/1200)!"

Appearing beside Sol was a handsome man in a brown cloak with his wings folded over his body. Peeking out from under the robes was a silver rifle. The others looked at the new monster with strange looks. Takuya frowned and spoke up. "An angel with a gun? Kind of odd isn't it?"

"Odd or not, Seraphim Gunner has a special ability that is useful for my deck. For every other angel on the field his attack and defense scores rise by three hundred. Since I have Sol on the field his attack score raises to twenty-one hundred!" A glow similar to the one that had surrounded Sol also surrounded the Seraphim, boosting his scores.

Now both of Dalin's monsters were stronger than Eikyuu's, but all of them watching knew that it couldn't possibly be that easy. After all, Eikyuu had two face down monsters. "Eikyuu, your two cards are useless, for as long as Sol is in play the opponent may not activate traps in chain to the attack of an angel."

The others gave a silent cheer, realizing that Sol's effect would allow the two monsters to attack Eikyuu's creatures without the chance of reprisal. "I understand. Continue your move."

Dalin nodded and thrust his hand out towards Eikyuu's monsters. "I shall. Sol, Angel of Justice, will now attack God of Necromancy! Divine Justice!"

Sol raises one hand and a blast of silver energy erupted from it, hurtling straight towards the sickening creature that took up most of Eikyuu's field. "In chain to your attack I activate the special ability of God of Necromancy. Necromantic Defense."

The ground in front of the god exploded and another huge form burst forth. To Dalin's surprise it was the tall and powerful figure of his very own Jupiter, only its skin was falling off and its wings were crumbling. "What is this insanity?"

"When you target a monster on my field with an attack or an effect I can remove a monster from any player's cemetery in order to negate that attack or that effect. I have now removed Jupiter the Angel of Life in order to negate your attack." The pure silver blast punched straight through Jupiter, blowing his chest apart.

Dalin frowned as the corpse of his former monster dropped back into the hole, and Sol lowered her arm. A small shower of bones and flesh was coming straight at him, so he extended his hand again and blocked the oncoming particles with a barrier. "The player who has said monster removed from their cemetery also takes three hundred points of damage." (DLP: 4900)

Each player glanced at their graveyard, coming to understand exactly what was going on. Cry of Supplication had forced each of them to send three monster from their deck to their graveyard and that meant Eikyuu had a minimum of eighteen chances to negate effects or attacks while doing damage. "Since attacking would do more harm than good I simply end my turn."

Kirani picked up a new card, frowning as she tried to consider her next course of actions. _'At this particular moment attacking not only won't do any good, it will be harmful to us. And Berserker Gilford's effect is way too damaging for me to attack under these circumstances. But I do have one option that can turn things around.'_

She glanced at her five card hand, taking careful note of one of the cards in it. All she had to do was use that card and she would be able to stop God of Necromancy. "For now I summon Kaiser Seahorse(1700/1650) in defense mode. End Turn!" (KLP: 4200)

Misuno drew and immediately slapped a card onto his duel disk. "Just like her I understand that an attack wold be foolhardy. For the moment I'll just set this monster on the field. Until my next turn, I'm done." (MLP: 4200)

AB drew, but unlike the others she knew that she had certain actions she could take. "Eikyuu, my strategy is about to undo everything you are! Get ready to lose god-boy, because in just a few short rounds you'll be finished!"

There was no reaction from Eikyuu, but that was to be expected. He didn't seem to care what they did. "First, as I enter my standby phase my Breath of Life magic card grants me an additional two hundred life points!" Energy flowed into her duel disk, granting her further life points. (ALP: 4200)

"Now, I enter my main phase one, allowing me to summon. So I summon Burst Soul(0/500) in defense mode!" A creature that looked like a Holy Shine Sphere appeared, with the only difference being that it was crackling with energy.

"Burst Soul's special ability is that whenever a player gains life points, you lose exactly the same amount. And though during each of your standby phases you'll gain two hundred more life points, during each of our standby phases you'll lose another two hundred. That means a combined one thousand points each round!" Now Eikyuu took note, his attention focusing directly on hers.

Takuya grinned and slapped her the on the back cheerfully. "Nice play! That single combo will let us defeat Eikyuu with little effort, and in this case Dalin becomes our special weapon with all that life point gain he can do!"

The only one of the six who didn't smirk confidently was Dalin, who was simply watching Eikyuu with a slight frown on his face. "I'll end my turn there, beginning the cycle of life point damage that will lead to your defeat!"

Takuya took his hand off her shoulder and used it to draw. He paused slightly as Breath of Life sent him energy, giving him what he needed to keep going. "Here's the start for you Eikyuu, because I just gained two hundred life points Burst Soul's effect activates!" (TLP: 4400)

AB pointed towards Eikyuu, and the energy that had been crackling around Burst Soul came to a pinpoint at the front. "Burst Soul, attack Eikyuu with your effect! Soul Burning Strike!" The energy launched at the god who was struck in the chest. Smoke rose from the strike point, but Eikyuu didn't even budge. (ELP: 4000)

"I may not be able to attack you yet, but I can still build up an attack force for when we find a way past God of Necromancy. King's Knight(1600/1400) in attack mode!" The blonde bearded knight took shape in front of him, and raised its sword to be prepared for battle.

"I'll complete my turn by setting one card from my hand face down on the field. In case you didn't realize that means it's a magic or a trap card. But most likely a trap." He smirked as his card appeared faced down, giving him two cards on the field along with his two monsters.

Hikari snapped up a card, and instantly energy began flowing into her disk. At the same time Burst Soul was charging up its special ability. "Just like with Takuya I gain life points, and then you lose the same amount. Burst Soul does its stuff!" (HLP: 4400)

The energy hit Eikyuu in the shoulder and puffed out, doing its damage to the god's life points if not to his body. Eikyuu reached one hand up to his shoulder and brushed dust off of his robe. "A unique combination that serves you well. However, it will not allow for your victory." (ELP: 3800)

"We'll see about that Eikyuu! I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn at that!" A brown backed card appeared next to Medusa and in front of her two set magic or trap cards.

As soon as her turn was over a new blue card appeared next to the three others in Eikyuu's hand. A cold gust of wind blew across the field, whipping his robes around wildly. "Breath of Life increases my life points." (ELP: 4000)

"I activate a continuous magic card from my hand. Prayer Blessings." The far left card of his hand vanished, and then a large representation of it appeared in front of him. It depicted a congregated mass bowing to a large statue.

"As long as Prayer Blessings is in play my life points increase by five hundred for each divine type monster on the field during my first main phase. That is now, and I possess two divine type monsters." Chanting went up as thousands of people appeared in luminescent images in the sky, all of them bowing towards Eikyuu. (ELP: 5000)

AB grimaced, realizing that he had just undone all of her efforts. Collectively they could only drain him of one thousand life points during each round of the duel, two hundred from each of them. But at minimum he would be gaining one thousand points during each of his own turns. _'Our only chance for doing serious damage to his life points is Dalin's cards in combination with Burst Soul.'_

"God of Necromancy will now attack and destroy Burst Soul." The sickening undead god opened its mouth and a swarm of locusts shot out, heading straight for her monster. She grimaced and reached for her face down card, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

Takuya grinned at her and shook his head. "Allow me to take care of this. Now, go Weakening of Attack! This quick-play magic card not only negates your attack but it also ends your battle phase!"

The locusts hit a shimmering barrier and turned back around, returning to the God of Necromancy. "End turn."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Drake glanced down at the duel below, and frowned briefly. There was something odd going on, something that he couldn't explain. There was something unusual about this duel. "I've got a bad feeling about this duel."_

"_Perhaps you wish that you could help, is that it?" The three of them whirled around, and found themselves facing a handsome youth who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was dressed very casually in a hoody with the hood up and jeans, so he hardly looked impressive. The only thing impressive about him were his brilliant blue eyes, which were roughly the color of a robin's egg. _

_Taichi sneered at the newcomer and gathered a sphere of wind in his hand. "And who might you be?"_

"_I am simply a benefactor who wants to see Eikyuu fall just as much as the three of you, if for a different reason than yours. I offer a chance to the strongest of the three of you, for whichever one that is will be able to return to Earth and assist." The strange man grinned, waiting for their response._

_Nick narrowed his one eye at the man. "So we have to prove our strength? And how exactly would we do that?" _

"_Simple, for my amusement and to help me decide, I want you to duel. All three of you against each other. Won't that be fun?" The three duelists cast glances at each other, sparks flying between them. Each of them wanted to get back to Earth, both to be alive and to take down Eikyuu. There reasons were all different, but they still had the same goal._

_As one duel disks appeared on their arms, decks already in place. They drew five cards and positioned themselves in a sort of triangle, and then they were ready to begin. The stranger snapped one hand into the air, a big smirk on his face. "DUEL!"_

Nick snapped a sixth card off his deck, ready to begin as soon as possible. "I'll start this duel off by summoning a monster in face down defense mode!"

A card appeared face down in front of him in a horizontal position. Taichi rolled his eyes at this move. "Is that really all you're capable of? Hiding behind a single set defense card? Surely you can do better!"

"Just wait Taichi, I've wanted to strip that smug smirk off your face since we first met. So I set two cards face down and end my turn!" Two more cards appeared on his field, potentially protecting his set monster.

Taichi smirked smugly, just as Nick had said, and then drew. "A pity, looks like I'll be defending as well during this turn. So come on out to play Marionette Kuriboh(300/200)!"

A small little spherical monster appeared, looking just like a regular Kuriboh. The only difference was that it was blocked and looked to be made of painted wood, with little strings descending from above to allow it movement. "I summon him in defense mode and then I set one card face down. Up to you Drake, so show me something good as I've been waiting for a rematch with you for some time."

Drake rolled his eyes and drew his own new card. "You say that now, but we've never really dueled before. Facing the dark spirit in your body is something entirely different, so let me tell you now that you don't stand a chance against me."

Nick rolled his single eye at Drake. "I've only met you twice before this, and still you're a confident jackass. When we first met you punched me for accidently running into your sister, and the second time we met you didn't know it was me and blasted me with your power. I owe you a few blows to the face I think, so don't get too confident."

"Until you can prove it to me otherwise, I'll have to say that you two aren't up to snuff against my magicians. Then again, I can't say that I know what Nick's style of play is. But here's mine! Ghost Magician(1700/1700) in attack mode!" A spectral magician appeared in front of him, holding its ghost wand up high.

"Since no player can attack during the first turn of a multi-player duel, I'll just finish up by setting two cards face down. Back to you Nikolas." Two cards appeared behind his monster, just like those behind Nick's.

Nick drew and took one glance at his new card. "I'll pass."

Taichi snickered at seeing Nick end his turn so quickly, and drew a new card of his own. "Just like I thought, you're a worthless duelist. All you can do is end your turn without playing a single card? Weak!"

"I'll show you weak in my next turn when my monsters show you their power! Then you'll understand that the only weakling here is you!" Sparks flew between the two as they glared at each other, and off to the side the stranger smiled as he watched him in action.

'_These three are so high spirited, it's enjoyable to watch them face off like this. I wonder which one is really the strongest.'_ He folded his arms and sat back to await the continuation of the duel.

"I'll show you just how weak you are Nick, in fact I'll show you both how weak you are! Fear the power of the cuteness, because I play Mesmeric Kuriboh Plushy!" An adorable little doll Kuriboh appeared on Taichi's field and began hoping around. Drake couldn't help but stare at it in amusement.

"That thing is your technique? What's a little plushy going to do against us?" Taichi smirked and pointed towards Ghost Magician. The plushy began dancing in front of the magician, and walked backwards as it went, keeping the Ghost Magician following it.

"I'm glad you asked, because my magic card lets me take control of one face-up opponent's monster for as long as I have a Kuriboh monster on my field. Thanks to that Ghost Magician is now mine to control." The magician turned around to face Drake, stars in his eyes as he hugged the plushy.

"There's something really disturbing about this." Taichi laughed at Drake's comment, and the pointed straight at him.

"Ghost Magician, prove yourself worthy of the adorable plushy by attacking your former master directly!" The magician charged at Drake with a roar, brandishing his wand as he went.

"Not so fast! Go Attack Redirecting Armor! This evil armor will equip to one monster on the field and make it the target of the attack! So I think I'll stir things up by equipping it to Nick's face down monster!" The magician turned in mid attack and raced towards the set monster, slamming into it and bouncing off.

Nick smirked and reached down to his Duel Pod, flipping up his set monster. "Your attack was forced to strike the beautiful but deadly Dark Scorpion Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800) whose defense is too great for your monster!" (TLP: 3900)

"In combination with that I'll activate both of my face down cards, Robbin' Goblin and Robbin' Zombie! Together they'll destroy one card in your hand and one card from the top of your deck whenever you take life point damage from battle." Taichi grimaced and slid one card from his hand into his graveyard along with a card from the top of his deck.

"Also since Maenae the Thorn did battle damage to the opposing player I can now use her special ability and add a Dark Scorpion to my hand from my deck!" A card shot out of his deck and he caught it, adding it to his hand. The black haired woman snapped her woman, smirking confidently.

With nothing else to do Taichi finished his turn, passing control to Drake. The punk duelist frowned at Maenae, trying to remember more about the Dark Scorpions. _'I know they're supposed to be a team of legendary thieves of some sort, but I don't know what they do or even what they're capable of. Looks like I'll have to do this on the fly.'_

"I set a monster face down. Now, I think that'll do it for me." A new monster appeared on his field, granting him a defense from direct attacks. Now Nick was up, and he seemed confident in his draw and in his turn.

"I said previously that I'd show you my power during this turn Taichi. And I meant it, so let's get started!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin placed his hand in front of his deck, and a card shot out of the center of it and into his hand. "I sacrifice my draw phase to the effect of A Gathering of Angels to add an angel to my hand."

He held the card up, indicating that he had gotten what he wanted. Then energy began to pour into his duel disk as he slid the card into his cemetery, and at the same time Burst Soul charged up an attack. "Not only do I gain two hundred life points, but I discard my new monster to gain an additional one thousand." (DLP: 6100)

AB pointed to Eikyuu and her Burst Soul fired its attack, striking Eikyuu in the chest. Once more the god didn't budge, and simply brushed away the dust from the attack. "Burst Soul's attack deals twelve hundred damage during this turn, so I understand." (ELP: 3800)

"That is correct, but I'm far from finished. I chose to add Ascended Man(1200/500) to my hand and discard him. Since Ascended Man went to the cemetery I may now draw one card and special summon another Ascended Man from my deck to the field." A man in brown robes with a halo and angel wings appeared crouching on Dalin's field.

"Now I sacrifice five hundred life points to the effect of A Gathering of Angels to draw an additional card." His life points trickled down slightly and he slid two cards off his deck. One came from his monster's effect and the other from his magic card's effect. (DLP: 5600)

"Since I have an additional angel in play Seraphim Gunner's attack strength increases by three hundred, setting it equal to Sol." Just as he said his monster glowed and gained more attack points, putting it at twenty-four hundred.

"Attacking is still unsafe, so I set one card face down and end my turn." A single card appeared behind his monsters, leaving him with only one card in his hand.

Kirani drew and smirked as her life increased, and Burst Soul used its attack on Eikyuu. "Looks like you're quickly running out of options god-boy! Thanks to Dalin's Sol we can easily reduce your life points faster than you can raise them!" (KLP: 4400, ELP: 3600)

"Now...I think it's time I rampage all over your life points! To do so I'll reveal my face down card, Effect Cancel! To activate this card I must discard one card from my hand!" She took a card and slid it into her graveyard slot, powering up her trap card. A black beam of energy struck the two monsters on Eikyuu's field, and dark auras covered them.

"Effect Cancel prevents any of the opponent's monsters from activating their effects but can only be used during my turn. Since your monsters don't have effects for this turn, I'm free to go on the offensive. So I sacrifice both of my monsters for the key point of my deck!" The two monsters turned into energy and faded away, causing the skies above to brew with dark clouds.

"You sacrifice your two monsters for Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) and because Kaiser Seahorse counts as two sacrifices for a light main-type you may activate Gilford's effect to destroy all of the opposing player's monsters." Kirani nodded and a lightning bolt shot down from the sky, becoming her mighty warrior.

"Gilford the Lightning, unleash your mighty Raigeki Blade! Blow away Eikyuu's monsters!" Gilford nodded and unsheathed his long blade and swung it in an arc. Lightning shot down from the sky above directly towards the two monsters.

"Necromantic Defense activates." Kirani gasped in horror as a rotting Kaiser Seahorse exploded up from the hole in the ground and threw itself in the path of the lightning bolt. It was blown apart, but the two divine monsters on Eikyuu's field remained exactly where they had been previously. (KLP: 4100)

"But...how? Your monsters effects should have been sealed away for this turn!" Eikyuu motioned to his two monsters and the glow that surrounded God of Necromancy faded away, leaving only the black aura around Divine Soldier.

"God of Necromancy is a tier two divine monster, meaning it cannot have its effect sealed away in such a manner. Divine Soldier on the other hand is a mere tier one divine monster, so its effect was sealed." Kirani grimaced, realizing that her best chance to go after Eikyuu had been stopped by the natural immunities of his monsters.

Her frown faded as she made a decision, and she motioned to Gilfod the Lightning. "If we're going to defeat that monster of yours then we're going to have to get rid of all the monsters in our cemeteries! Gilford the Lightning attacks God of Necromancy!"

"Necromantic Defense." Berserker Gilford clawed its way out of the hole and was promptly sliced in half by Gilford. The warrior jumped backwards, returning to his place on Kirani's field. (KLP: 3800)

"I set one card face down and end my turn!" Now that the decision was made, they all knew what they had to do. Since Eikyuu had to remove a monster from the attacking player's grave to use God of Necromancy's effect each of them would just have to empty their graves before going on the true offensive.

Misuno sneered and drew a new card. With a total of four cards in his hand he was good to go, but unfortunately he didn't have any monsters capable of launching a successful assault on either of Eikyuu's monsters. "My sister and I are essentially opposites, so allow me to prove that with my own continuous magic card!" (MLP: 4400, ELP: 3400)

He smirked as a green bordered card appeared on his field. "Introducing Breath of Undeath! This card is worded differently, so it will only affect the two of us. During each of our standby phases the two of us will lose two hundred life points. And when an undead, demon, or shadow monster is destroyed that amount is increased by one hundred points."

"Thanks to these combined effects you won't be gaining a bonus from Breath of Life during your turn, and should you kill any of my monsters you will increase the damage dealt. Since all of my monsters fit those requirements it won't be difficult. That's it for me." He smirked confidently, knowing that he was assisting in the god's eventual defeat.

AB drew and then placed a card on her duel disk. "I summon Soul Archer(900/800) in attack mode! And by sacrificing one card from my hand I can deal its attack strength in damage to your life points. Combined with Burst Soul that means you take eleven hundred damage this turn!" (ALP: 4400)

A phantom-like archer stepped out next to her Burst Soul and single set monster, and immediately knocked an arrow. At the same time it and Burst Soul launched their attacks, hitting Eikyuu with everything they had. The god's life points took a major dip, and the group felt like cheering. (ELP: 2300)

"Now my turn is over! Takuya, take it away!" The duelist next to her nodded and snapped a card off his deck, ready to get things underway. (TLP: 4600)

"Let's start things off easy and have Burst Soul blast another chunk out of your life points!" The little sphere of energy attacked once again, striking Eikyuu and dropping his life points even further. (ELP: 2100)

"Now I summon Queen's Knight(1500/1600) and since she's on the field with King's Knight I summon Jack's Knight(1900/1000)!" The tri-knights stood at the ready, with their blades in place. And they all began to face Divine Soldier.

"Let's see how your monster likes mine! Jack's Knight and Quarter Knight will both attack it!" Eikyuu motioned towards his God of Necromancy, and suddenly a rotting Royal Flush and a rotted Ace's Knight jumped in the way only to be cut down. Bone splattered over Takuya, who refused to budge. (TLP: 4000)

"That means I only have one more monster in my cemetery Eikyuu, and at this rate you won't last much longer! Get ready to lose!" With that said his turn was over, and now it was on to Hikari to see what she could do against the god. (HLP: 4600)

Burst Soul attacked, further reducing Eikyuu's life points. But Hikari didn't seem to be focused on that, instead she was focused on the card she had just drawn. She smirked and slammed it down on her duel disk. "I sacrifice my set Unshaven Angler to summon Legendary Kraken(2800/1700) the beast that Perseus was forced to face!"

Appearing in place of her set monster was a mighty behemoth in the form of a squid. It hovered in mid-air, its puckered tentacles ready to tear the flesh from any foe it faced. "Legendary Kraken's special ability is that it cannot be destroyed by battle and gains five hundred attack points when in battle with warriors and beast-warriors. Now, it attacks God of Necromancy!"

The tentacles snapped out, but instead of encountering the god it encountered a creature similar to Medusa but with a slightly different appearance. It exploded and particles bombarded Hikari, dealing her damage. "Although I may take damage, it puts us one step closer to defeating your God of Necromancy!" (HLP: 4300)

"Now I activate the special ability of Medusa. Whenever she switches modes I can destroy one monster on the field by turning it to stone, thereby removing it from the game. Medusa, use your fierce gaze and show God of Necromancy your power!" Medusa stood up straight and looked straight that mighty god, but stepping out in place of it was another gorgon which was turned to stone. (HLP: 4000)

"Thanks for that Eikyuu, because when her two sisters are in the removed from play pile Medusa gains one thousand attack and defense points. Next turn I have another attacker to go after your monsters. Until then, I'm done." The serpents of Medusa's hair hissed as her power increased.

Eikyuu motioned to his field, and one of his face down cards revealed itself for the first time. "I activate the continuous trap card Offerings of the Faithful. The servants of these gods will now offer up holy sacrifices, allowing me to draw one additional card each turn."

Two new cards appeared in his hand, and the whole group waited in suspense for him to make his move. He took one of the new cards and placed it on the field. A being of pure energy appeared in front of him, standing a dozen feet in height. "This is Deity of Empowerment(1000/1000) who also gains four hundred additional points from Divine Soldier."

"Now, the effects of Prayer Blessings and Deity of Empowerment activate. Deity of Empowerment once per turn increases my life points by half the total attack power of every divine monster on my field. Also I gain an additional fifteen hundred from Prayer Blessings." The group grimaced as power surged into Eikyuu's body, and his life points shot up far beyond the starting point. (ELP: 6200)

"It is time for your confidence to fall apart in face of the strength of these gods. All of your efforts are for naught against the power of these creatures. I therefore activate Might of Divinity, which will allow me to deal five hundred life points to each opposing player for every divine monster in play." The group watched in horror as energy exploded off of each of three divine monsters and shot towards them.

A powerful explosion covered their combined field. Smoke poured over it and the snow around the impact point of the blast melted away from the sheer heat of it. Eikyuu waved one hand and the smoke dissipated, revealing all of them on the ground, smoke rising from their bodies. (DLP: 4100, KLP: 2300, MLP: 2900, ALP: 4900, TLP: 2500, HLP: 2500)

Eikyuu motioned to Divine Soldier, and it began to charge straight at Burst Soul. "Divine Soldier will cut down your monster and make it as nothing."

"Not likely! I activate Waboku to prevent it from being destroyed!" Eikyuu titled his head to one side, and then placed his hand above his remaining face down card. It flipped up and a blast of blue energy shattered Waboku and covered all the face down cards on the field.

"Divine Right is a counter trap that can only be activated when a divine monster is in play. It negates the activation of any card in chain to the attack of a divine monster and prevents all other cards from being activated." Divine Soldier's blade cleaved straight through Burst Soul, eliminating their greatest advantage.

"God of Necromancy attacks Soul Archer." With no way to defend her monster and with nobody else able to defend it AB was simply forced to watch as a swarm of locusts poured over her monster and consumed it alive. When the locusts flew away all they left was a simple corpse. (ALP: 1800)

"Deity of Empowerment attacks the remaining face down monster on your field." AB grimaced as her set monster blew apart, leaving her field completely empty except for Breath of Life.

Eikyuu motioned with his hand and two of the remaining three cards he was holding blinked out of view from his hand and appeared in front of him in a bigger form. "Two cards face down. End turn."

Eikyuu's turn was over, but now they knew the extent of his power. If he drew another Might of Divinty, the duel would be essentially over. Dalin frowned, having understood the potential danger involved in facing a deck filled with divine monsters right from the start. _'Yet still something holds me back. Why am I unable to unleash my full strength? Could it be that I am...afraid?'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: I know it seems slow in starting, but now that Eikyuu is in full swing the duel will heat up starting with the next chapter, trust me.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Face to Mask...lol.

The White Mage: The chapter amount is uncertain. And no, the ritual is meant to take away mankind's free will.

WolfGeneral: Yeah, Eikyuu is a creepy guy just because of his attitude.

Time Mage: As you can clearly see Dalin started off with the best move possible since his opening hand consisted of four monsters and two magic cards. The thing with Taichi, Nick, and Drake will be explained soon.

VoidTemplar: Indeed you are correct. As for the stranger, his identity will be revealed in the third story.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Dalin: A Gathering of Angels, Ascended Man

Kirani: Effect Cancel

AB: Soul Archer, Burst Soul

Hikari: Legendary Kraken

Misuno: Breath of Undeath

Takuya: Weakening of Attack

Eikyuu: Prayer Blessings, Offerings of the Faithful, Deity of Empowerment, Might of Divinity, Divine Right

Drake: Ghost Magician

Taichi: Marionette Kuriboh, Mesmeric Kuriboh Plushy


	41. Fading In, Fading Out

Author's Notes: Part three begins now.

_**Chapter Forty: Fading In, Fading Out**_

_Eikyuu motioned to Divine Soldier, and it began to charge straight at Burst Soul. "Divine Soldier will cut down your monster and make it as nothing."_

"_Not likely! I activate Waboku to prevent it from being destroyed!" Eikyuu titled his head to one side, and then placed his hand above his remaining face down card. It flipped up and a blast of blue energy shattered Waboku and covered all the face down cards on the field._

"_Divine Right is a counter trap that can only be activated when a divine monster is in play. It negates the activation of any card in chain to the attack of a divine monster and prevents all other cards from being activated." Divine Soldier's blade cleaved straight through Burst Soul, eliminating their greatest advantage._

"_God of Necromancy attacks Soul Archer." With no way to defend her monster and with nobody else able to defend it AB was simply forced to watch as a swarm of locusts poured over her monster and consumed it alive. When the locusts flew away all they left was a simple corpse. (ALP: 1800)_

"_Deity of Empowerment attacks the remaining face down monster on your field." AB grimaced as her set monster blew apart, leaving her field completely empty except for Breath of Life. _

_Eikyuu motioned with his hand and two of the remaining three cards he was holding blinked out of view from his hand and appeared in front of him in a bigger form. "Two cards face down. End turn."_

_Eikyuu's turn was over, but now they knew the extent of his power. If he drew another Might of Divinty, the duel would be essentially over. Dalin frowned, having understood the potential danger involved in facing a deck filled with divine monsters right from the start. 'Yet still something holds me back. Why am I unable to unleash my full strength? Could it be that I am...afraid?'_

Dalin closed his eyes briefly, pondering this very thing. Finally he passed his hand over his deck and the device spat a card out. He caught it and added it to his hand. "I activate the initial effect of A Gathering of Angels. Next I activate its secondary effect and pay five hundred life points to draw one card." (DLP: 3800)

He held the three cards out in front of him and took one and slid it into his cemetery. "I discard Holy Shine Sphere to activate the third effect of Sol. Now I may draw three cards."

He plucked another three cards off his deck, giving him a grand total of five. "I summon the companion to Seraphim Gunner(2400/1800) the mighty Seraphim Sabre(1600/1500) in attack mode!"

An armored angel with long white hair and a glowing halo now stood beside the cloaked angel with its rifle, but this one had a silver sword in its right hand which glowed with a fiery aura. "Seraphim Sabre shares the special ability of Gunner, meaning that it gains nine hundred points while Gunner gains an additional three hundred!"

The gang watched as the two level four angels gained enormous power, the Gunner reaching twenty-seven hundred and the Sabre hitting twenty-five hundred. Eikyuu merely watched patiently as Dalin's turn continued. "I set one card face down and activate Song of Angels!"

A card appeared behind his angels, and then all of them opened their mouths and began to sing. The heavenly sound warmed all of the duelists even further, blocking out the icy winds as much as Sanctuary of the Sky was. "This magic card grants me fifteen hundred life points." (DLP: 5300)

Dalin turned to Kirani and nodded briefly. Taking this as indication she drew, and felt energy flow into her from Breath of Life. As long as that was in play they would be doing fine. "I start by gaining two hundred life points!" (KLP: 2500)

When the glow was gone she looked at the card she had drawn for the first time. Her eyes narrowed and she slid it into her duel disk. "Activate Lightning Strikes Twice! During this turn Gilford the Lightning gets two battle phases, so he'll attack God of Necromancy twice in a row!"

"Activate Necromantic Defense." Two corpses exploded out of the ground and were promptly sliced in half by Gilford's mighty sword. The swordsman frowned at having to cut down former comrades, and then jumped back to Kirani's field. (KLP: 1900)

"Careful Eikyuu, God of Necromancy is running low on ammunition. I have only one monster left in my cemetery, so next turn I think I'll be able to clear the way. For now though, my turn is finished." She glanced down at her single set card, knowing that if Eikyuu chose to target her that it would be the only thing to help her against his gods.

Misuno drew, shuddering slightly as life points were drained from him by his own magic card, and then restored instantly by his sister's. He glanced at his card and then sneered at Eikyuu. "Let's see how lucky you are god boy. Before my shadows can be unleashed I need to do a little scouting, and my set monster can do that."

He reached down to his deck and flipped up a monster, and a strange little monster appeared in front of him. "This is Hiro's Shadow Scout(650/500)! His flip effect forces you to draw three cards and show them to me. Any magic cards are instantly discarded!"

Eikyuu raised his right hand and three cards appeared in it, he looked down at them and then flipped them around to show Misuno. "Evolution of God, God of Might, and Assemblage of Fallen Gods. Evolution of God and Assemblage of Fallen Gods are both discarded."

The two cards he named vanished, and he slid the other card into his hand. Misuno nodded and reached down for his other set monster. "Meet Dark Mimic LV1(100/1000) whose flip effect lets me draw one card!"

A demonic looking treasure chest dropped out of his card and then spat out a pearl. It opened and light surrounded Misuno, letting him draw an additional card. "Perfect. Let's see how well your puny gods can handle the shadows, because I sacrifice Hiro's Shadow Scout for a monster in face-down attack mode!"

The little monster vanished, and a dark shadow appeared in its place, with things moving within it. "My face down monster will now attack Deity of Empowerment!" The shadow surged towards the divine monster, but another shadow collided with it, and pulled it inside itself. (MLP: 2600)

Suddenly to everyone's surprise Misuno threw back his head and started laughing. "You may be a god but you're not all knowing! The monster you just removed from the game was a special shadow monster known as Tykirio the Hell Spear(2600/1300) which can be special summoned from out of play at any time!"

Another shadow appeared on his field, and a bestial shape emerged from it, depicting a rotting demonic entity with large horns. "Now, Tykirio attacks God of Necromancy!" The beast rushed towards its target, but once again it was forced to consume a shadow thanks to God of Necromancy. (MLP: 2300)

"Again you are nothing but a fool! I planned to remove the three monsters in my grave anyways, so I sent all three Tykirio's to the cemetery! Now the newest one will continue the assault!" An identical monster to the previous one attacked, sending a long red tongue towards God of Necromancy. But Hiro's Shadow Scout leapt out of the grave and was swallowed up. (MLP: 2000)

He chuckled and held up another card from his hand. "Although I'm stopped for the turn, those life points were well spent in building up a deadly army to crush you with. Now this army will repay me in life points with the magic card Shadow Restoration! For each shadow in play I gain five hundred life points!" (MLP: 3500)

He smirked and gestured to his sister, who promptly drew. Her own magic card sent life energy to her, undoing a tiny amount of the damage that had been done by Eikyuu in his turn. "Thank you Breath of Life, you keep me in this duel." (ALP: 2000)

"I set one monster face down...and one magic or trap card. That's all." She emptied her hand, and prayed for the best. Until she could recover it was up to the others to take the duel to Eikyuu and make him feel it.

Takuya drew, and his life points increased just like the others. One look at his new card and he smirked, realizing that he was about to deal some damage. "Okay Eikyuu, time to take the duel up a notch. Knight on Six(400/100) in attack mode!" (TLP: 2700)

The light armored warrior bounced from foot to foot in its eagerness to attack Eikyuu. "Guess what Eikyuu? I've only got one monster in the grave, and even that can't stop Knight on Six since he can attack directly. Now let's start the rampage! Jack's Knight attacks Divine Soldier!"

The blue armored knight slashed with its blade, cutting directly through a skeletal Queen's Knight. Takuya remained confident, knowing that he had the advantage at the moment since he had no more monsters in the grave. "Time to pay the piper! Quarter Knight attacks Deity of Empowerment!"

His other powerful knight attacked, and now there was no way God of Necromancy could stop the assault. Eikyuu tilted his head to the side and then waved a hand over one of his two set cards. "Your monster is fallen in the eyes of the gods, as are you. I chain with Fall of the Unfaithful, which will remove your monster from play and inflict half of its attack in damage to you."

Takuya grunted, holding back a cry of pain as his Quarter Knight was blown apart and energy washed over him. He struggled to keep himself from falling to his knees, and was able to do so just on pure determination. "I'm fine with that! King's Knight attacks the Deity!" (TLP: 1450)

"I activate the final effect of my trap, and remove it from the cemetery to activate its effect once again." The warrior duelist bit back another cry of pain as the energy washed over him, burning into his skin. One knee hit the snow, and he instantly pulled himself back up even as his life points drained away. (TLP: 650)

Taking a deep breath he pointed at Deity of Empowerment and his Queen's Knight raises her weapon. "Queen's Knight, cut down his Deity once and for all!" He was almost surprised when Queen's Knight succeeded in cleaving the monster apart. (ELP: 6100)

Suddenly the energy being reformed and slammed into Eikyuu, charging him up. "When Deity of Empowerment is destroyed in battle I gain two thousand life points. Your efforts were in vain." (ELP: 8100)

"In vain this! Knight on Six attack Eikyuu directly!" The little knight raced forwards and jumped straight over Divine Soldier. It brought its blade down on Eikyuu's shoulder, but the god didn't move. He smashed his hand into the warrior's face and sent it flying back towards Takuya. (ELP: 7700)

"You're not as invincible as you think Eikyuu! I've just proven that, and we'll continue to prove it. So I end my turn knowing that we'll crush you sooner or later!" He drew in a deep breath and steadied himself.

Hikari glanced over at Takuya, who still appeared to be in pain. She knew that if she fell into anything like that she would be in trouble, but she could empty her grave of monsters in this turn and use that to her advantage. "Draw!" (HLP: 2700)

"Legendary Kraken, attack God of Necromancy!" The huge squid slashed through the air with its numerous tentacles, and a skeletal human woman appeared in front of the tentacles. They ripped through it in a single second, and the Kraken pulled in the pieces to consume them. (HLP: 2400)

"Medusa, attack God of Necromancy!" The gorgon turned its gaze on the god, but a rotted version of Unshaven Angler took the attack directly and was turned to stone. God of Necromancy slapped it aside, blowing it apart and pelting Hikari with stone fragments. (HLP: 2100)

"Your monsters may be strong, but Divine Soldier is still a tier one god, and that means it's vulnerable to Medusa's effect! I switch her to defense mode and use her effect to destroy Divine Soldier!" She crouched down and with a single glance she turned the soldier to stone. It remained that way until Eikyuu snapped his fingers, banishing it.

"Now I set a monster in defense mode. Your turn Eikyuu." She watched the god carefully, knowing that his single turn could be disastrous for them. Two blue cards appeared in his hand and he held them up to look at.

"This is the beginning of the end for all of you...starting with you." He turned his head and his prismatic eyes fell on AB who jerked back in shock. She shuddered in fear, and felt that she had just seen her entire life pass before her eyes, all three and a half millennia of it.

'_He's serious...'_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_With nothing else to do Taichi finished his turn, passing control to Drake. The punk duelist frowned at Maenae, trying to remember more about the Dark Scorpions. 'I know they're supposed to be a team of legendary thieves of some sort, but I don't know what they do or even what they're capable of. Looks like I'll have to do this on the fly.'_

"_I set a monster face down. Now, I think that'll do it for me." A new monster appeared on his field, granting him a defense from direct attacks. Now Nick was up, and he seemed confident in his draw and in his turn._

"_I said previously that I'd show you my power during this turn Taichi. And I meant it, so let's get started!"_

He slammed a card down onto his duel pod and a skinny blonde haired man in similar clothes to Maenae's appeared next to her and flashed her a grin. "Meet the brainy member of the scorpions, Dark Scorpion Chick the Yellow(1000/1000)!"

"Now, every thief has to learn how to reach the hidden treasure using whatever methods they can. And here's one of the techniques I have for it. Secret Pass to the Treasure! With this one monster with one thousand or less attack can go direct this turn, so Chick attacks you directly!" Taichi grunted as Chick charged forwards and smashed him in the stomach with a mallet. (TLP: 2900)

"I hope you didn't like Ghost Magician, because you just lost it! I use Chick's ability to return Marionette Kuriboh to your hand, and since you no longer have a Kuriboh in play Ghost Magician returns to Drake." The wooden monster faded away, and the ghost floated over to Drake.

"I set one card face down and end my turn." He smirked at Taichi, and folded his arms to await the duelist's retaliation.

Taichi frowned at his hand, and then slid two cards onto his Duel Pod. "I summon my Marionette Kuriboh(300/200) back in defense mode and set one card face down. End turn."

Drake laughed and snapped a card off his deck. He glanced at it and then held it out. "If that's all you can do then you're pathetic. But just in case I play Devil's Seal Barrier which protects Ghost Magician this turn from any effects. So now he attacks your Kuriboh!"

The puppet was blasted apart, but the string flailed around. Taichi laughed and pointed straight at Chick the Yellow. "Devil's Seal Barrier protects your monster, but now since my Marionette Kuriboh has been destroyed I can take control of one face-up monster on the field. So Chick the Yellow his mine!"

Nick narrowed his eye and snapped his fingers. His face down card flipped up and Chick jumped up and away, fading from view. The strings hit the spot the thief had previously been in and then lay limp. "My trap card Dark Scorpion Skill Test counts as a scorpion dealing damage, so I used Chick's effect to bounce him back to my hand and save him from your monster's effect."

Drake nodded to Nick, and the thief duelist drew immediately. He held out the card and a wave of frost swept across each player's fields, freezing their face down cards. "Cold Wave prevents any player from setting or activating magic and trap cards until the start of my next turn."

Next he took another card from his hand and three it onto the pod. "Chick the Yellow returns, and then Maenae the Thorn will join him in attack mode. And since Taichi is so utterly open I'll attack him directly with both!" Chick smashed him in the chest with his mallet and Maenae whipped him. (TLP: 900)

"I use Maenae's effect and add a scorpion to my hand from my deck. Then I use Chick's effect and return your left face down card to your hand!" The card snapped out of Taichi's Duel Pod and he was forced to catch it and place it back into his hand. At the same time Nick caught a card that was shot out of his deck.

"Since you took double damage, I think it's time again for my two traps to do their stuff. Now discard two cards from your hand and two from your deck!" Taichi grimaced and slid all but his returned card into the grave, and then plucked two cards off his deck and also placed them into the cemetery. But now Nick's turn was over.

The kuriboh wielding duelist frowned at his draw, but then eagerly threw down his card. "Cyborg Kuriboh(1000/700) in attack mode. Then I activate its special ability, Cyber Hack! I'll use it to destroy Drake's remaining face down card!" The named card shattered into a million pieces.

He gave Drake a brief nod, and the punk duelist responded by drawing. "That Cold Wave sure is a nuisance, but I don't have a problem with that. Ghost Magician, attack Cyborg Kuriboh!"

"Not so fast! I activate the second effect of my monster, Cyber Devastation! By sacrificing a magic or trap card on my field I can destroy one attacking monster!" Taichi's single face down shattered and the fragments shot towards the Ghost Magician. Drake frowned and snapped his fingers, causing the magician to fade away and be replaced by one card that was face down.

"By sending Ghost Magician to the cemetery I can return one magic, trap, or monster from the grave to the field. So I bypass Cold Wave and specially set one magic or trap card on the field." Since he was unable to make any other move for the turn, he was done.

Nick drew, and then motioned to his two monsters. Both of them dropped into a crouch, indicating a shift to defense mode. "I summon Don Zaloog(1400/1500) and then set one card face down. End turn!"

Drake frowned as he saw energy looping between the three monsters and Nick. It was evident that he had a powerful with the Dark Scorpions, particularly with Don Zaloog. _'He's definitely an interesting duelist, I'll give him that.'_

Taichi smirked and pointed to Drake's replaced set card. "How utterly useless! Cyber Hack!" Drake's set card shuddered briefly and then blew apart, briefly revealed Attack Redirecting Armor before it was gone.

"Now I'll set two cards face down and end my turn!" Drake frowned, knowing that there was little he could do in the form of an attack since any monster he attacked with would get blown away by Taichi's Cyborg Kuriboh.

"I summon Twisted Spellweaver(1800/600)!" A man in a top hat and mussed suit appeared, his hair sticking out from under his hat. He held up his smudged wand and grinned maniacally.

"Twisted Spellweaver will attack and destroy Don Zaloog!" The spellweaver pointed his wand at the thief king, and a giant rubber chicken shot out of the tip. Don frowned and then snapped his fingers.

"The thief king doesn't like that, and since they're tomb robbers, he'll do some grave robbing with the trap card Grave Robber! And he's chosen to use Attack Redirecting Armor to send the attack towards Cyborg Kuriboh!" The chicken swerved in mid-air and headed for the mechanical monster.

Taichi grimaced and took one of the cards out of his disk, and then slid it into the grave. "I'll sacrifice my face down Polymerization to destroy Twisted Spellweaver." The weaver was blown away, leaving Drake with just one set monster on his field.

"So be it! I set two cards of my own face down and end my turn!" Two cards appeared in front of him, and then both duelists looked to Nick. It was his turn, and by the look on his face he had something planned.

Nick pressed a button on his Duel Pod and a side slot opened. He smirked and placed his newly drawn card into it. The ground beneath their feet changed shades, becoming like that of a stone, and piled up against the walls was golden items of all sorts. "Welcome to the Den of Thieves, the field in which the Dark Scorpions reign supreme. For instance, they all gain three hundred attack and defense points."

His eye roamed the field, searching for an appropriate target. Finally it rested upon Drake's face down monster. "That will be my first target. Don Zaloog(1700/1800), destroy it!"

The thief king raised one of his guns and fired three rounds into the set monster. A man in white robes appeared, with angel's wings wrapped around his body. However, the monster had the same sort of hood that the Dark Magician family monsters had. "Sorry Nick, but Don Zaloog attacked Angel Magister(700/1900) whose defense is too strong." (NLP: 3800)

The thief frowned and then took one of the remaining three cards from his hand and placed it face down. "I'll set one magic or trap card. Now it's Taichi's turn."

Taichi glared at his former comrade and held up his newest card, revealing a familiar grinning jar. "Pot of Greed!" He drew twice and instantly threw down one of them. A black furred creature with a bandana and an eye patch appeared.

"Kuri Bandit(1000/700) appears only to vanish as I sacrifice him to draw five cards!" The pirate monster popped in a puff of smoke, and then Taichi slid five new cards off his deck. He looked them over and then shoved two of them into the cemetery.

"All monsters drawn by this effect are discarded, so I lost two. Not to worry though, because they're about to come back with a vengeance! This is the revenge of the Kuriboh, Monster Reborn!" A shimmering glow covered one spot of his field, and then it took shape as a massive furry monster that vaguely resembled a Blue Eyes.

"Blue Eyed White Kuriboh(2400/2000) who gains two hundred attack for every Kuriboh monster on the field, putting him at twenty-eight hundred. First Cyber Hack that set. Now...get me my revenge. Destroy Maenae the Thorn! Bubble Burst Stream!" The monster opened its jaws wide and sprayed bubbles at the thief.

Nick grimaced as the female thief was blown apart by the attack. His life points dropped steadily, and Taichi smirked. "I set one card face down and end my turn. Now you're the one in trouble pathetic thief!" (NLP: 2300)

Drake held up his drawn card and shifted his gaze to Nick. His eyes met with Nick's one eye, and sparks flew. "Now it's my turn to heat things up. So get ready to feel the pain Nick!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eikyuu selected one card from his hand and held it out. Immediately light began to emanate from it, and the hole in front of him glowed similarly. "I activate God Revival, which will act as a Monster Reborn for one divine type, however this will last for more than one turn. Deity of Empowerment(1000/1000) returns."

The energy being returned, and then pointed its hand down into the hole. Power poured out from its hand into the hole, and something deep inside rumbled. "Deity of Empowerment when special summoned allows me to revive one divine type monster for the duration of the turn. This monster cannot attack."

The blue armored form of Divine Soldier(1800/1800) rose up next to the other two, and its effect boosted both of their attack and defense points by four hundred. "Now, I activate Deity of Empowerment and Prayer Blessings effect to restore my life points. (ELP: 11800)

Energy crackled around Eikyuu's body, infusing him with additional life points. The whole group frowned at seeing how high his life points had gotten in such a short time. And at this rate he would keep getting more. "Now, I sacrifice Deity of Empowerment, Divine Soldier, and God of Necromancy to bring forth God of Might(?)!"

The three divine monsters burst apart, and the energy of their bodies poured together into one point. That point began to expand...and expand...and expand. Soon an enormous form towered over them all at a massive thirty or forty feet in height. It appeared humanoid except for the fact that its face had nothing on it, and its body was covered in spikes.

Each of them stood tensely, awaiting Eikyuu's declaration of an attack. There was no telling which of them he would choose to go after, and if so what his newest god could do. The god's masked face swept across each of them more than once, before finally settling on one of them. "You are the only one to truly damage me. For that you will be the first to fall."

Everyone's eyes snapped towards the middle of their joint field, eyeing one duelist there. AB met Eikyuu's gaze, and shivered. She felt the power that rested behind those eyes, but she wasn't afraid. "Do what you want Eikyuu, but I won't fall. Don't worry everyone, I can handle this."

"No. You can't. God of Might(?) shall attack your face down monster. Shattering Deathblow of God!" The huge monster pointed its arm at the set monster and thousands of steel spines erupted from its body. All of them sailed towards the set monster and pierced it like a pincushion.

"Sorry Eikyuu, but you fell into a trap of my making! Vizier of Demise(900/1200)'s flip effect inflicts two hundred points of damage times the level of the monster that killed it to the owner of that monster. So you'll take two thousand damage!" She smirked and stood confidently...for all of two seconds. But nothing happened.

"God of Might's attack and defense points are always one thousand higher than the monster it battles with. In addition it can deal damage through defense and negates the effect of any monster it destroys in battle. Feel its wrath." The god pointed one finger at her and fired a single spine, which shot directly into her leg and through it. She screamed in pain and dropped to the ground clutching her leg. (ALP: 1000)

Misuno growled, infuriated at seeing his sister like that. Though he might not admit it he still cared for her, even though she irritated him to no end most of the time. "You bastard, you'll pay for that!"

Eikyuu turned his head towards Misuno, and then looked back to AB. "No, I won't. Activate special ability, God of Necromancy(1600/1600) removes Deity of Empowerment from the game to revive itself. It immediately may attack, so it attacks directly."

Through her pain AB was able to hear the declaration of the attack, so she pointed to her face down card. It flipped up, revealing a trap that depicted a man with an arrow in his chest that had been stopped by a book. "Activate set card, Saving Grace! This trap will prevent me from losing life points from a direct attack this turn, and during the end phase I'll gain two thousand life points!"

"I chain. Counter trap activates, Divine Right. Once more I negate your card and prevent any further chaining or blocking from occurring." AB's eyes went wide in horror as the half-god, half-undead creature spewed locusts all over her, a blue glow surrounded all other cards in play and preventing them from being used. She screamed briefly before her entire body was covered up by the swarm.

Misuno roared with rage and tried to push his way into the swarm, but it was like a solid wall, keeping him out. "BASTARD! I'll rip you apart for this! I'LL KILL YOU!" He turned on Eikyuu and thrust out his hand, sending a massive wave of power at the god.

The god stood still and the blast exploded across his broad chest. When it appeared that no damage had been done Misuno screamed his hatred to the sky and fired volley after volley at Eikyuu, every single blast exploding harmlessly against his chest. "This is futile."

"Nothing is futile where I am concerned! I'll find the chip in your armor!" Eikyuu titled his head to the side and then snapped his arm out. The snow parted and Misuno was hurled off his feet and back a dozen or more meters.

"Impudent! I am the embodiment of Order, I have no flaws! I am perfection itself!" Misuno rolled into a ball, coughing up blood onto the pristine ice and snow. All of them but Dalin rushed towards the fallen duelist.

Dalin glanced to his right, and the swarm of locusts flew off into the sky, leaving a lifeless AB staring blankly up at the sky. A dozen meters behind him Takuya and Kirani were helping Misuno to his feet. The spirit himself was glaring daggers at Eikyuu. "You'll suffer before this duel is done!"

Eikyuu ignored the comment and motioned with his hand. Two cards he was holding flew down in front of him and grew to a large size, matching the size of his two face up cards. "I am perfect, I am order, I am all that is pure in this world. I am Eikyuu, God of Order. End turn."

The angel duelist frowned, contemplating the divine being in front of him. There was something nagging at him, something that he knew, something he should know. As he contemplated this, a card popped out of his duel disk and into his hand. "Now that I have added an angel to my hand I forfeit five hundred life points to draw one card." (DLP: 4800)

He took one of the cards in his hand and reached for his graveyard to slide it in. Suddenly he stopped with the card just a few inches away, and he cast a glance up at Eikyuu. "I understand now. I see your true flaw and I understand."

Eikyuu's prismatic eyes snapped towards him, and for a second dark lines ran through those eyes. "There is no flaw within Eikyuu the God of Order. I am beyond mortal conceptions, I am Order itself!"

Dalin smirked and folded his hand up, matching Eikyuu's gaze with his own. He didn't flinch in the slightest. "If that's the case? Then why is it that I hear anger in your voice? I thought you were above petty human emotions."

More black lines quivered within the prismatic eyes, and the ice and snow around Eikyuu's feet began to steam. The ground around them started shaking as the lines moved faster and faster through his eyes. "You are nothing to me. You have no right to ask questions of God!"

"There it was again. Anger, hatred, rage, all of it boiling up inside of you. The question is, why? And I have the answer. That answer is your one weakness!" In that same moment Eikyuu's eyes turned pitch black and a fountain of black flame exploded around Dalin, consuming his body in the unholy fires.

Kirani, Takuya, Misuno, and Hikari all stared at the spot that Dalin had been standing, which was now sheathed in black flames. All at once they shared a single thought in common. _'Dalin...what did you uncover? What is Eikyuu's weakness?'_

Eikyuu's eyes returned to their normal prismatic color and the ground stopped shaking. "Impudence is not tolerated. The impudent one has been eliminated."

The roar of the black flames died down, and the fires were drawn back into the ground. A barren patch of stone now sat there, all the snow melted away. In the center of that patch of stone there was a black outline burned into the ground.

It was the outline of a human being.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: And the losses begin.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: I know all and see all.

The White Mage: And now you know who went down first.

WolfGeneral: Thanks.

Time Mage: No, there will be no Horakhti. You're only partially correct on the three-way, but it's more like Taichi is at a disadvantage because Nick and Drake want him gone.

VoidTemplar: Nah, Hikari isn't that high of a level. She's more like one of the duelists that challenges Yugi but can't quite match up, although they give him a tough time.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Dalin: Song of Angels

Kirani: Lightning Strikes Twice

AB: Vizier of Demise, Saving Grace

Misuno: Tykirio the Hell Spear, Shadow Restoration

Takuya: Knight on Six

Eikyuu: God of Might, Assemblage of Fallen Gods, Deity of Empowerment, Divine Right, Divine Soldier, Fall of the Unfaithful, God Revival

Drake: Ghost Magician, Devil's Seal Barrier, Twisted Spellweaver, Angel Magister

Taichi: Marionette Kuriboh, Cyborg Kuriboh, Blue Eyed Kuri Dragon

Nick: Dark Scorpion Skill Test, Den of Thieves


	42. Three Way Battle to the Finish

Author's Notes: I decided to finish the three-way duel before continuing with the Eikyuu duel. Sorry.

_**Chapter Forty-One: Three Way Battle to the Finish**_

_Taichi glared at his former comrade and held up his newest card, revealing a familiar grinning jar. "Pot of Greed!" He drew twice and instantly threw down one of them. A black furred creature with a bandana and an eye patch appeared._

"_Kuri Bandit(1000/700) appears only to vanish as I sacrifice him to draw five cards!" The pirate monster popped in a puff of smoke, and then Taichi slid five new cards off his deck. He looked them over and then shoved two of them into the cemetery._

"_All monsters drawn by this effect are discarded, so I lost two. Not to worry though, because they're about to come back with a vengeance! This is the revenge of the Kuriboh, Monster Reborn!" A shimmering glow covered one spot of his field, and then it took shape as a massive furry monster that vaguely resembled a Blue Eyes._

"_Blue Eyed White Kuriboh(2400/2000) who gains two hundred attack for every Kuriboh monster on the field, putting him at twenty-eight hundred. Now...get me my revenge. Destroy Maenae the Thorn! Bubble Burst Stream!" The monster opened its jaws wide and sprayed bubbles at the thief._

_Nick grimaced as the female thief was blown apart by the attack. His life points dropped steadily, and Taichi smirked. "I set one card face down and end my turn. Now you're the one in trouble pathetic thief!" (NLP: 2300)_

_Drake held up his drawn card and shifted his gaze to Nick. His eyes met with Nick's one eye, and sparks flew. "Now it's my turn to heat things up. So get ready to feel the pain Nick!"_

He took the card and slammed it down onto his duel disk, picking up the monster he had on the field previously. "By sacrificing Angel Magister I can summon Black Sorcerer(2200/2000) to the field! And since Angel Magister went from the field to the cemetery I gain its defense as life points." (DLP: 5900)

"Here's my strategy, and it's brutally simple. Black Sorcerer will destroy Chick the Yellow!" The sorcerer held up his right arm, and opened his hand. Floating above his palm was a sphere of black energy which he proceeded to hurl at the blonde haired monster. Chick shrieked and was promptly blown away by the attack. (NLP: 1400)

"Since Black Sorcerer did damage to your life points, take a trap from your deck and send it to the cemetery." The thief complied, sliding a spare Skull Invitation into the graveyard. His eye twitched as Drake nodded to him, signaling the end of his turn.

Nick took another card that he had seen in his deck and held it up, showing it to his opponents. "I forfeit my draw phase to have Den of Thieves let me place one card referring to the dark scorpions into my hand. I choose Dark Scorpion Reunion."

"Now! I activate Dark Scorpion Reunion and discard the last two cards in my hand to special summon Maenae the Thorn(1000/1800) and Chick the Yellow(1000/1000) from the cemetery to the field!" Two cards popped out of his grave and he slapped them onto the Duel Pod. Both thieves returned to their previous positions.

He flipped over the two cards that he were in his hand, the cards that he was going to be discarding. "I choose to discard Repayment of Losses and Thieve's Demise. Repayment of Losses is first so I can draw one card."

Barely had he glanced at the new card before he moved on to explain Thieve's Demise. "When this magic card is activated or goes to the cemetery I can sacrifice a Dark Scorpion to destroy two magic or trap cards on the field. But keep in mind I never recklessly sacrifice a scorpion."

Chick the Yellow vanished just as quickly as he had reappeared. The two set cards on Taichi's field exploded into fiery shrapnel, leaving nothing but his mighty dragon Kuriboh and his weaker Cyborg Kuriboh. Taichi sneered. "You think that's going to help you? How pathetic! You can't defeat Blue Eyed Kuri Dragon!"

Nick didn't say anything, instead he held out the card he had drawn from Repayment of Losses' effect. It was Pot of Greed, so he drew twice. He looked over his two cards and proceeded to toss on onto the field. "Meet the group's trap master, Cliff the Trap Remover(1200/1000)!"

The lithe blonde haired thief darted out onto the field, looking back and forth over the gathered monsters. Don and Maenae nodded to him. "Remember how I said I don't sacrifice a Dark Scorpion without a thought? Well by removing Dark Scorpion Reunion I can revive one Dark Scorpion, so Chick the Yellow returns!"

Drake, Taichi, and the stranger all watched as Nick assembled four of the five Dark Scorpions. It seemed that nothing could stop him from getting them all into play. "I may not be able to destroy many...but I can deal some serious damage. Don Zaloog attacks Cyborg Kuriboh!"

The thief king leveled his gun and fired, directly into the Kuriboh's mechanical eye. Servomotors whirred as the damage took its toll, and finally the Cyborg Kuriboh exploded. Taichi growled as burning parts rained down around him. "You'll pay for that..." (TLP: 200)

"I doubt it. Thanks to the effects of my traps and Don Zaloog I'll now have you discard one card from the top of your deck and two from your hand!" Once again the Kuriboh duelist snarled and dumped the remainder of his hand into the graveyard along with a card from his deck.

"One card face down. Now we'll see what you can do Taichi." Nick settled back on his heels to wait for Taichi's move. His lips curled up into a smirk at seeing the other former Knight of Order squirm.

Taichi drew and then burst out laughing. "Forgot how well I can top deck didn't you? Go, Twilight Renewal!"

According to its effect he drew five brand new cards, increasing his options. Both Drake and Nick scowled at seeing him renew his chances so easily. "Ah, this will help. Kuri Birth revives Cyborg Kuriboh(1000/700)!"

Nick glanced down at his face down card and reached to press the button on his duel disk. Whoever got their first would make the grade. "Not so fast Nick! You won't win this one, go Cyber Hack!"

The face down card began to shake as Cyborg Kuriboh used its effect. But suddenly it stopped shaking and flipped up, spraying purple gas all over Taichi. "What the hell?"

"Looks like you didn't get there first. Dark Scorpion Poison is a trap card that inflicts one hundred damage to you for each Dark Scorpion I have on the field and prevents there from being a battle phase until my next turn. Of course four hundred damage finishes you off." Taichi snarled and waved his hand, using his wind powers to blow away the poison gas.

"Don't act like I'm easy to knock off Nick! I discard Soul Kuriboh(300/200) to save myself from one instance of effect damage, so I'm safe." Nick frowned at seeing his chance at finishing off Taichi postponed. It looked like he would have to wait longer than he thought.

"Now if you're done being an arrogant little shit I'll summon Kuri Defender(300/200) and set one card face down. With this monster's presence my dragon has three thousand attack points. More than anything you can summon, and I know your weak deck!" His laughter was cut off by the sound of Drake clearing his throat.

"I'm sure that's all very impressive, but is it my turn or not?" Taichi scowled and slashed his hand at Drake, intending to blast him with wind. But a golden barrier formed around the other duelist, protecting him from the attack.

"I'll take that as a yes. But don't worry, I just switch Black Sorcerer to defense mode and set a monster face down. End." Nick drew, and felt glad that his Dark Scorpion Poison's second effect was able to save him.

"Here's an interesting card. Hammer Shot! This automatically destroys the strongest monster in play, regardless of who has it. And I think that's your dragon!" Taichi went bug-eyed as Chick produced an enormous hammer out of nowhere and proceeded to slam it down on his monster's head, blowing it apart.

He took a glance at Drake's set, and saw the look in the duelist's eyes. He narrowed his one eye and glanced at Taichi for a brief second. But he saw Drake's eyes flicker in response. _'So that's his game huh? I guess I'll play!'_

"Don Zaloog! Attack Drake's set monster and destroy it!" A single bullet tore through the card, and a skinny man in black robes briefly appeared before turning into nothing but holographic dust in the wind.

"Thanks Nick, you flipped Black Magic Summoner(500/1200) who now lets me add a magic card from my deck to my hand." A card popped out of the middle of his deck and he caught it. Then he tucked it into his hand next to his two other cards.

"No magic card you take can hurt me, so I feel confident in ending my turn right now." He laughed on the inside, wondering exactly what Drake was planning. _'That magic card might not hurt me, but I get the feeling it's going to destroy Taichi.'_

Taichi frowned, looking back and forth between his two opponent's. He knew neither of them held any particular like for him, so it was likely they both had it in for him. He didn't let his uncertainty show, knowing that if it did show he'd truly be at a disadvantage. _'No matter what the situation is, I'll crush them both with the power of Kuriboh!'_

He looked down at his newly drawn card and smirked, knowing where this would be going. "First I'll activate the ability Cyber Hack and blow away Robbin' Goblin!"

Nick didn't even blink when his face-up trap card was blown into a million pieces. All he did was take it off his Duel Pod and send it to the cemetery. "Is there anything else, or are you finished?"

"I'm perfectly ready for whatever you have planned. All I have to do is set this one card face down and I'll be completely safe. Now, end turn!" Another card appeared behind Cyborg Kuriboh, and if his comment wasn't a bluff then it would be used to protect him.

Drake slipped another card off the top of his deck, and then shot a glance over at Nick. The thief was watching Taichi out of the corner of his eye, showing that he understood. "Your defenses are about to come crumbling down Taichi! Watch and learn!"

He took a different card from his hand and held it out. "I play Birth of the Magician, which lets me sacrifice one magician on the field to special summon another of equal or lesser level to the field. So say goodbye to Black Sorcerer!"

The named monster was swallowed up by a vortex of energy, and that vortex was pulled into Drake's magic card. "Now by the power of my magic card I summon the monster that will begin your undoing! Guardian Magician of the Day(1400/1900)!"

Taichi and Nick gave him a strange look as the magician in sky robes appeared. He whipped his staff around and pointed to the space next to him, which instantly started to glow. "Now one of his special abilities activates! Since he was special summoned to the field I can special summon a Guardian Magician of the Night(1900/1400) into play!"

The punk duelist threw the chosen card down onto his duel disk, and a magician that in appearance was identical to the first one appeared, only this one had robes like the night's sky. "Together Guardian Magician of the Night and Guardian Magician of the Day are my deadliest Unity Magicians!"

Taichi folded his arms, a cocky smirk on his face. "Talk all you like, but even their special abilities won't defeat me. Go ahead and waste life points, but if you try to use their effect you will only pay the price."

Drake nodded and took the farthest left card in his hand and pulled it aside from the others. Both other duelists noticed that this was the card he had chosen from his Black Magic Summoner's effect. "You're absolutely right. These two monsters can't stop you like this. But when they join their powers I think they can. Prepare to meet the second deadliest monster I can produce. Go, Chaos Fusion!"

As Nick and Taichi watched, the two magicians broke down into their individual types of magical energy. The magician of the night became a black column of energy, and the magician of the day became a white column. "The forces of light and dark intertwine, creating a power like no other. A power that eclipses virtually every monster in the game of Duel Monsters!"

The two separate columns of energy slammed into each other, merging their powers. Nick, Taichi, and the stranger all could feel the power flowing off of the monster that was being created. Less than a minute later it had taken shape as a magician in glowing robes, holding a staff in each hand. "Meet Guardian Magician of the Eclipse(3200/3200) the monster that will be your end!"

Taichi felt his hand shake slightly, and he clenched it tight to stop the shaking. He stared at the monster, feeling fear form at the pit of his belly. Yet he couldn't understand why. _'This monster...it's power is huge, and I feel something from it. Can this one monster really defeat me?'_

"As I said, this monster eclipses any power you've faced before. Witness its awesome special ability as I sacrifice two thousand of my life points! Eclipsing Chaos Attack!" The powerful magician crossed its staffs together, and then pointed them at Taichi. The duelist couldn't help himself as an enormous wave of raw energy shot towards him. He cried out in terror.

Nick stared in shock as the huge blast collided with Taichi and detonated, covering one third of their total field in fire and smoke. "What awesome power!" (DLP: 3900)

Drake smirked and stood waiting for the smoke to clear. He knew what he would find when it did clear, so he was in no rush. Eventually it was blown away by a gust of wind, and a burnt and irritated looking Taichi was revealed, coughing up smoke. "Bastard! You've hurt me, but my life points are intact! You spent two thousand life points for nothing!"

"Did I? Take a look at your field and tell me that I wasted them, go ahead and try." Taichi blinked and took his attention away from Drake and back to his field. When he saw what was there he stepped back in fear.

"My...my entire field...all my cards are gone! You mean your monster can destroy my entire field in one shot?" Drake nodded, and Taichi took another step back. Yet despite his supposed fear, Drake knew he was faking it. But that false attitude wouldn't last for long.

"Knowing you one of those cards in your hand is a Kuriboh, so even if I could attack it would be fruitless. But since I used my magician's ability I lose my battle phase for this turn. Of course guess whose turn comes after mine?" Nick smirked, and Taichi fell to his knees in horror. He could see what was coming.

"Take it away Nick. Finish him off." Nick nodded and motioned to his deck, which spat a card out at him. His eye turned cold as he looked down at Taichi's fallen form, ready to strike the finishing blow.

"I play Dark Scorpion Gang! This magic card lets me select one Dark Scorpion in my deck and bring it into play, provided I have two or more of the Dark Scorpions in play already. So meet the brawn of the group, the final member. Dark Scorpion Gorg the Strong(1800/1000)!" A behemoth of a thief joined the other four, holding a huge hammer in his hands.

"This is the end for you Taichi! Don Zaloog(1700/1800), Maenae the Thorn(1300/2100), Chick the Yellow(1300/1300), Cliff the Trap Remover(1500/1300), and Gorg the Strong(2100/1300)! All of you, attack Taichi directly!" The five thieves fell upon the former Knight of Order, pounding on him repeatedly. Finally they backed away, and Taichi was left unconscious on the ground. (TLP: 0)

The stranger turned his gaze towards the two remaining duelists, knowing that it would just be those two who would face off. The winner would be the one who was meant to go, just like he had known all along. _'But which one is destined to take that path?'_

"Thanks for the courtesy kill Drake, but don't think I'll go easy on you." The other duelist smirked and picked up a new card, adding it to his hand.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now, let's get this party really going! Eclipsing Chaos Attack!" The mighty chaos fusion monster unleashed its unbridled power upon Nick, bowling him over and consuming his field in magical fire. (DLP: 1900)

Drake blinked in surprise, realizing that Den of Thieves was still in play. Which meant his monster's effect hadn't worked. "What's going on here? Why isn't your entire field wiped out?"

The smoke cleared and Nick stood behind all five of the Dark Scorpions, all of them smirking at him. "Den of Thieves cannot be destroyed by any effect provided all five of the Dark Scorpions are in play. Also, if they would all be destroyed by an effect I can pay half of my life points to prevent them from being destroyed." (NLP: 700)

"I see. Well, since my battle phase is forfeited I guess I just end my turn." Both he and his chaos fusion monster crossed their arms across their chests, awaiting Nick's move. They knew quite well that although Nick had saved his thieves, he was still at a disadvantage.

"I use Den of Thieves to select one card related to the Dark Scorpions and add it to my hand. Now I set that card face down and end my turn!" One card appeared behind the scorpions, provided them with a singular defense against whatever Drake had to throw at them.

"You're safe for the moment from his effect since I don't have the life points for it, but Guardian Magician of the Eclipse still has thirty-two hundred attack points, more than enough to finish you off. But just in case I'll summon Demon Magister(1900/700) in attack mode!" A horned and dark robed monster appeared, holding a wand that had a bladed end to it.

"Guardian Magician of the Eclipse, attack Don Zaloog with Eclipse Energy Flare! Demon Magister, cut Maenae down with your Magic Demon Blade! Finish Nick off for good!" Demon Magister jumped forwards, swinging his bladed wand at the female thief. At the same time the other magician pointed both staffs at Don and a pitch black circle of magic fired at the king of thieves.

"I won't die here and neither will Don Zaloog! Dark Scorpion Skill Test activates now! I'll now return Guardian Magician of the Eclipse to your hand, but since it's a fusion it returns to your fusion deck instead!" The attack faded mid-way to Don Zaloog, and then the attacker himself faded away.

"You may have stopped my chaos fusion, but you haven't stopped Demon Magister! Take down Maenae the Thorn now!" Nick grimaced as he watched his female thief be cut in half by the demonic magician. The four other scorpions stared in horror at the sight of their companion dying. (NLP: 100)

Drake frowned when he saw the monster's reactions. _'They act almost as if they were alive, which means that they share such a bond with Nick' soul that they react as he would. What is it about these monsters that makes them so precious to him?'_

"Go ahead, take your turn Nick. It seems to me that we're reaching the end game portion of this duel. All that's stopping you is this one face down card and Demon Magister. Can you beat that?" Nick hesitated for one moment, and then nodded.

"I can defeat you, and I will! Treasure of the Dark Scorpions is a magic card that lets me draw one card for each Dark Scorpion on the field plus one. So I draw five cards!" He drew five cards in a single pull, and then fanned them out so he could see what they were.

"Perfect. Den of Thieves allows me to discard a card from my hand to revive a Dark Scorpion, so I discard Dying to Steal to revive Maeane the Thorn(1300/2100)!" The dark haired thief appeared once again, and snapped her whip in the joy of being back. To Drake's surprise the four other scorpions embraced her.

"Now, Dying to Steal's effect is that when it goes to the cemetery you must either discard two cards from your hand or three from your deck. I choose to have you discard your remaining hand." Drake nodded and ditched his hand, sending it to the grave.

"Gorg the Strong is more powerful than your Magister, so he'll crush it. Skull Shattering Hammer!" The thief roared and leapt directly in front of the Demon Magister. He held his hammer up, and then swung it down, pulverizing the magician. (DLP: 3400)

"When Demon Magister goes to the cemetery I gain its attack strength as life points, so I think I'm safe." Nick shook his head, and then made a slashing motion with his right hand.

"You're not safe at all! Cliff the Trap Remover, start the all out assault off! Attack Drake directly!" Drake grunted as the trap master belted him in the face, knocking him backwards. (DLP: 1900)

"Cliff's effect destroys your face down card. Then Maenae the Thorn will get revenge by attacking you directly!" The thief swung her whip, wrapping it around Drake's throat. She pulled hard with it, bringing him down to his knees, gasping for air. (DLP: 600)

"This is the end! Don Zaloog, attack Drake's life points directly! Finish him off!" The thief king approached and leveled the gun at Drake's head. Drake stared up at it with wide eyes, and then the thief pulled the trigger. Nick didn't even flinch as blood splattered across the ground. (DLP: 0)

"I did it...I won. Thank you Dark Scorpions, your efforts have granted me the chance to face Eikyuu and undo the damage that I have caused." He bowed his head to the five monsters, and in turn each of them bowed back.

"That's really sweet and all, but what makes you think this duel is over?" Nick's head whipped up in shock at the sound of the voice. Standing up ahead of him was Drake Ihachi, with his back leaning against the wall of the Den of Thieves.

"But...you...what?" Drake chuckled at Nick's confusion. The thief pointed to the body that was lying on Drake's field, with a bullet hole in its head as proof. Drake just smirked and walked up to that spot and snapped his fingers, banishing the body.

"All that you saw was a Mirage, a very special one. It comes from a quick-play magic card called Mirage of Soul, which can be activated when I would lose the duel. Instead I remain safe for the rest of the turn, and my life points are set at exactly the level of my opponent's." To demonstrate he held up his duel disk, displaying the life points. (DLP: 100)

"I see, so apparently you're better than I anticipated. Well either way I don't care since I hold field and hand advantage. Top decking won't save you against me. Especially since I set two cards face down to protect me. Now, let's see if you have what it takes to make a comeback." Sparks flew between the two duelists as they knew that this truly was approaching end game.

"Maybe top decking won't help me, but there's a card in my deck that can. I forfeit my draw phase to add that card to my hand, one of two cards I have that can do so. Here's the first one, Shining Soul Manipulator(1200/1400)!" A serene looking Buddhist monk now floated in front of him, a heavenly glow surrounded his body.

"Each turn this monster lets me take the top card of my deck and the top card of your deck and exchange them, putting them in our hands. If it's a magic or trap card that I get my monster gains two hundred attack points." Both duelists snapped a card off their deck and tossed them to each other.

"Looks like my monster gains more attack power. Just enough to do you in. Shining Soul Manipulator attacks Chick the Yellow!" Nick frowned and motioned to one of his two set cards which proceeded to flip up. Shining Soul Manipulator exploded violently.

"You triggered Sakuretsu Armor, which destroys the attacking monster. Care to try anything else?" Drake nodded and flipped the top card of his deck to Nick, who caught it in surprise.

"When he's destroyed his effect activates again, so send me the top card of your deck." Nick complied, and Drake easily caught the card. He now had two cards in his hand, one was a magic or a trap card, and the other was a total mystery to Nick.

"Hmmm, interesting cards. Looks like you've got a better deck then I would have thought. So I set these two magic or trap cards face down, and that will be all for now." Drake flashing Nick a grin, who just frowned and drew a new card.

"You're so confident with that shit-eating grin of yours, but let's see what happens to your confidence when I eliminate one of the last chances of a threat from you! Reveal face down card, Dust Tornado!" Drake grimaced as a black tornado emerged from the trap card, and hovered in place.

Drake's grimace shifted into a grin immediately as he realized what was going on. "You've got quite the choice don't you? Do you destroy my left set card, or my right? Which one is the most dangerous? Are they both dangerous, are they both bluffs? If you choose wrong, this duel could be over for you now couldn't it?"

"I won't pick wrong! Dust Tornado eliminates the second card you got from my deck, the one on the right!" The tornado hurtled across the field and slammed into the set card. It flipped up, and Nick smirked at what he saw.

"Magic Cylinder...that was my best chance at winning the game. Looks like you picked right Nick. It's still your turn though." Nick nodded and looked over his Dark Scorpions. Finally he made his last decision for the duel.

"Don Zaloog will finish it. Guns of the King!" Drake's eyes widened as the barrel of Don's right-handed gun was pointed at him. Then the thief pulled the trigger five times in a row, almost completely emptying the revolver at the punk duelist.

Suddenly Drake's eyes hardened and his confident grin reappeared. "Gotcha! You couldn't possibly have picked right with Dust Tornado, because here's my other set card. Mirror Force!"

Nick felt a flash of red hot rage pulse through his body as the five bullets were reflected back at his Dark Scorpions, blowing them each away, leaving his field barren except for Robbin' Zombie. "You...you'll pay for that!"

"Go ahead and make me...if you can." Nick's body shook with rage, and he held up his hand of cards, five in total. Then he slammed them together and shoved them into his cemetery slot all at once.

"I discard all five of my cards to revive the five Dark Scorpions! Return to me Don, Chick, Cliff, Gorg, and Maenae!" Drake grimaced as the five cornerstones of Nick's deck returned to the field, each as strong as ever. It was like he couldn't kill those monsters at all.

With nothing left to play and his battle phase already ended, Nick's turn was officially over. Which gave Drake one chance to top deck for a way to get victory. "Let's get this duel back on track. Draw!"

"Perfect draw. I play Soul of Chaos, which costs half my life points and the removal of two unity magicians from the grave. So Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night are removed!" He held up the two cards and then slid them into his back pocket. (DLP: 50)

"Now it's power kicks in, special summoning one Chaos Fusion monster from my fusion deck to the field. That monster leaves play at the end of the turn, but can activate its effect once with no backlash. So get ready to meet your end at the hands of Guardian Magician of the Eclipse(3200/3200)!" The familiar monster once again stood on Drake's field, prepared to attack.

"Eclipsing Chaos Attack!" Magical energies blasted over Nick's field, but to no avail. The smoke cleared quickly and all of the Scorpions remained, thanks to one of the effects of Den of Thieves. (NLP: 50)

"That's what I thought, but remember, no backlash for me, so he attacks Don Zaloog!" Nick frowned, seeing the attack coming straight for him. He sighed and pressed a button on his disk. Light flared up in front of the magician, and he stopped in his tracks.

"I can sacrifice Den of Thieves to immediately end your battle phase at any point in time. So I remain safe, and your monster will soon be gone." Drake frowned, and snapped his fingers together. His powerful monster faded away, leaving his field completely empty.

Confident of victory, Nick drew. But to his surprise Guardian Magician of the Day and Guardian Magician of the Night immediately appeared on Drake's field, crouching. "During my opponent's standby phase after playing Soul of Chaos the two removed monsters return to the field, only they lose their effects for the rest of the duel and have no attack or defense points."

"That hardly saves you! Chick and Maenae attack your two monsters!" His two thieves raced across the field to attack the monsters, but both of them vanished in a flash of light, and were instantly replaced by a single monster holding a huge shield in front of him.

"They might not, but this will. Chaos Defender(0/4000) can be special summoned to the field from my hand or deck by removing two monsters on my field from play. Let's see you get past this monster." Nick frowned, realizing that for the moment he had no way of defeating the powerful defender. He would have to sit and wait.

"I set one card face down. Although my turn is over and I can't finish you yet, I know that it doesn't matter, since one powerful defender won't save you. Go ahead and draw, it won't help." Drake placed two fingers on his deck and drew. Nick frowned as he felt the power flowing off of Drake during that draw.

"Activate magic card, Ultimate Revolution! By sacrificing my Chaos Defender I can shuffle all face down cards on the field back into their owners decks, and then I get to draw five cards!" The defending magician vanished, and so did Nick's face down card. At the same time Drake was able to draw five cards from his deck.

With no face down card to protect him Nick knew that the duel would be determined by whether or not Drake drew a monster that had thirteen hundred and fifty attack points or higher. _'It all comes down to this. I put all my faith into you five, so no matter what happens, it's okay.'_

Drake closed his eyes and took one card from his hand and slid it onto his duel disk. "Defeat you means defeating the Dark Scorpions, all of them. So that's what I'll do. First stage is this card, Effect Economics!"

Nick nodded, recognizing the card. It was an extremely rare card that allowed both players to use effects without paying life points to activate them. It was so rare and powerful that it had been restricted by Industrial Illusions to one per deck. "And what effects need payment?"

"This one doesn't really need it, it's for what comes after. Now here it comes, Curtain of Chaos Magic! Normally this card costs half of my life points, but now it comes without a cost. Its special effect lets me special summon Black Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) to the field!" A skull carrying a curtain appeared, and the curtains parted, letting the leather clad blue-skinned magician make his way onto the field.

A card shot out of Drake's cemetery and he caught it immediately, holding it out for Nick to see. "Black Magician of Chaos returns one of the cards you discarded from my hand with your Dying to Steal card. This card will be your undoing! Go, Diffusion Wave Motion!"

Black Magician of Chaos pointed his staff at Maenae the Thorn on the far left of the scorpions, and energy began to charge at the tip of the weapon. "This magic card normally costs one thousand life points, but now I can go without. It allows one level seven or higher magician on the field to attack every monster on the opposing player's field. So it's over. Black Magician of Chaos, wipe them all out! Streaming Chaos Magic Attack!"

Nick felt it as if it happened to him as one by one his Dark Scorpions were blown apart by the magical attack of Drake's favorite monster. In mere seconds all five of his treasured monsters were gone. "It's over...you win." (NLP: 0)

He dropped his head in shame, knowing that he had lost his last chance for taking on Eikyuu. To his surprise a hand appeared in his plane of vision, and when he looked up Drake was standing right in front of him, grinning as usual. "It was a great duel. And don't worry, I'll make sure Eikyuu gets his ass kicked."

Nick returned the grin and grasped hands with the other duelist. Although they were very different people, in the end they were still just duelists. "It was indeed a great duel. Go on, get out there and destroy him."

Drake nodded and turned towards the stranger. The man in the hoody smiled slightly and snapped his fingers. Nick blinked his one eye, realizing that in just that brief second the two men were gone from sight. "Good luck Drake, you'll need it. All of you will need it to defeat Eikyuu."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Drake frowned as he looked around at his surroundings. Instead of being in a frozen wasteland he was in the middle of a city, with people bustling all around them. Standing next to him was the strange man. "I thought you said there were no strings attached! What the hell am I doing here?"

"I apologize for the deception, but it was necessary to discover which of the three of you was destined to come to this place. All I knew is that one of you three would be destined to come to this place and help prevent something terrible from happening. So I gathered the three of you together and had you duel and now I know. You were destined to be here." Drake frowned at the man's explanation, and looked around at the city once again.

"And where exactly is here?" He glanced to his right, and discovered that the strange man was gone. But a voice spoke in his head that sounded exactly like that man.

"Welcome to another dimension." Drake sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, leaning up against the nearest wall. Teenagers and kids kept running past him, so he eventually decided to follow them out of sheer boredom.

When the kids stopped they were in front of a tall building and all of them were chattering incessantly. As Drake stood and listened, one of the kids turned to the others and spoke. "Did you hear? They're holding the qualifiers for the Japanese National Dueling Championship here tomorrow! And whoever wins that tournament gets an invitation to the World Championship!"

Drake grinned and stared at the building for a second, and then reset his duel disk into place. "Might as well do something to pass the time while I figure out why I'm supposed to be here. I guess this dimension is about to have another World Champion of Duel Monsters."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: That's that, and a bit of an explanation of other things. Also, in the next chapter the duel against Eikyuu will begin its path towards greatness.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: That's not exactly what was there, you should read that last line again.

The White Mage: Hehehe, don't worry the duel will get a lot better in the upcoming chapters. This was just the tip of the iceberg.

WolfGeneral: Again thanks. And I can't guarantee that Dalin will reveal what he learned.

Time Mage: Yeah, I pretty much explained everything to you when we talked.

VoidTemplar: Nope, not Drake.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Drake: Angel Magister, Black Sorcerer, Black Magic Summoner, Birth of the Magician, Guardian Magician of the Day, Guardian Magician of the Night, Chaos Fusion, Guardian Magician of the Eclipse, Demon Magister, Mirage of Soul, Shining Soul Manipulator, Soul of Chaos, Chaos Defender, Ultimate Revolution, Effect Economics, Curtain of Chaos Magic

Nick: Dark Scorpion Reunion, Repayment of Losses, Thieve's Demise, Scorpion Poison, Dark Scorpion Gang, Dark Scorpion Skill Test, Treasure of the Dark Scorpions, Dying to Steal

Taichi: Twilight Renewal, Kuri Birth, Kuri Defender, Soul Kuriboh


	43. The Origin of Eikyuu

Author's Notes: Now that I have finished with all my finals and with school for the year, I can get down to writing. The past week or so was really hectic so I got no work done. Now on to Part 4 of the Eikyuu duel.

_**Chapter Forty-Two: The Origins of Eikyuu**_

_Dalin smirked and folded his hand up, matching Eikyuu's gaze with his own. He didn't flinch in the slightest. "If that's the case? Then why is it that I hear anger in your voice? I thought you were above petty human emotions."_

_More black lines quivered within the prismatic eyes, and the ice and snow around Eikyuu's feet began to steam. The ground around them started shaking as the lines moved faster and faster through his eyes. "You are nothing to me. You have no right to ask questions of God!"_

"_There it was again. Anger, hatred, rage, all of it boiling up inside of you. The question is, why? And I have the answer. That answer is your one weakness!" In that same moment Eikyuu's eyes turned pitch black and a fountain of black flame exploded around Dalin, consuming his body in the unholy fires._

_Kirani, Takuya, Misuno, and Hikari all stared at the spot that Dalin had been standing, which was now sheathed in black flames. All at once they shared a single thought in common. 'Dalin...what did you uncover? What is Eikyuu's weakness?'_

_Eikyuu's eyes returned to their normal prismatic color and the ground stopped shaking. "Impudence is not tolerated. The impudent one has been eliminated."_

_The roar of the black flames died down, and the fires were drawn back into the ground. A barren patch of stone now sat there, all the snow melted away. In the center of that patch of stone there was a black outline burned into the ground._

_It was the outline of a human being. _

"Dalin!" Kirani felt horror rush through her entire body as she saw that simple black outline that was burned into the spot that Dalin had previously stood. There was nothing left but that mark.

Takuya stared blankly at the burn point, unable to comprehend what had happened. "But...how? How can Dalin be gone?"

Kirani, Takuya, and Hikari were snapped out of the reverie by a burst of laughter. They looked around to see Misuno with his head tilted back, his body shaking with his laughter. Takuya snarled and grabbed the spirit by his shirt and pulled him close. "What the hell do you think is so funny?"

"You idiots! That's what's funny! Sumatin is the one who truly initiated this game, and he made it a Darkness Game in order to insure that his needs were met. Even Eikyuu has to follow the rules of a Darkness Game, because as a system it was established by a vast hierarchy of deities, and Eikyuu is just one deity. In a Darkness Game you can not kill the opponent, it's against the rules!" He pushed Takuya away from him and cast a cocky smirk at Eikyuu.

The god tilted his head to the side in a way they had come to relate as frowning. "I hold in thrall most of the human beings on this planet. My power is now greater than any of those gods who established the Darkness Games."

"Perhaps you are, perhaps you aren't. I honestly don't care. But the fact remains that the rules of the games were made by close to a hundred gods of over a dozen religions, and no matter how strong you are you can't hope to match that much combined power. Not yet, not until you strip mankind of its will and make us all completely part of you and your order. Until that moment, these rules reign supreme!" He snickered up until the point that Eikyuu pointed a finger at him.

"You are impudent. For that you will suffer the same fate as your companion." Misuno screamed in agony as black fire exploded out from every pore on his body, consuming him with that dark power.

"The only impudent one here is you. That is enough!" Eikyuu's gaze shifted away from the burning Misuno and as he did so the black fires faded away, revealing Misuno to be virtually unharmed. Burnt, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

The earth began to shake, the snow bubbling as raw power seethed beneath the surface. Eikyuu leaned forward slightly, intrigued by this new development. "What power is this?"

"This is the power of a god!" The ground shattered, sending chunks of stone flying in every direction. Those that headed for the duelists were deflected by some form of invisible barrier, except for Eikyuu who merely stood and let them pass through his body.

A massive red form began to surge up from the shattered ground, and it continued to rise into the air. They all craned their necks back as it continue to move upwards, revealing that whatever the creature was...it was enormous. "Behold the might of god, behold the force that will keep you in check!"

The huge shape settled into a floating position, revealing long red coils that stretched end on end, covering much of the area in its bulk. A head roughly the size of a Buick floated directly above the spot where Dalin had previously stood, and its twin mouths breathed out steam that melted the snow beneath it.

Kirani stared at the beast in shock, and became the first to speak. "Saint Dragon Osiris?"

"That's correct. With it my power will hold fast against the power of Eikyuu!" A person stepped up onto the top of Osiris' head, and revealed himself. Standing tall and proud, with glowing silver eyes, was none other than Dalin Imaki Sumatin.

Dalin jumped down from Osiris' head, and the mighty Egyptian god monster faded away, leaving Dalin standing exactly where he had been previously. "Eikyuu, your weakness...it lies in your nature. You, as a creature defined by man as a god, are reliant on the faith base of those who worship you and have created you as you are."

The silver four-fingered ring on Dalin's right hand began to glow, and he held it out, palm open. A golden shape materialized in his hand, revealing itself in the form of a gauntlet. "This item, known today as the Millennium Gauntlet...with its power we will reveal exactly the nature of you this god! Your true weakness will be revealed to us all!"

Golden light enveloped the entire group, and the world changed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The golden glow receded, revealing their surroundings. Each member of the group that remained, with Eikyuu off to the side, floated about fifty feet above the ground, looking down at what was going on beneath them. "This is the past, this is around a million years ago, perhaps sooner, perhaps farther back."

Far below them two groups of human beings in rough furs and wielding bone clubs and weapons chipped from obsidian clashed, slashing and hacking at each other with uncontrolled violence. Blood stained the formerly pure white snow.

"These two groups, the precursors of today's human beings, mankind in the crudest sense of the word. They could not be considered tribes as such, but they were rival groups, hunting the few animals that remained in this desert of ice and snow. For the past few months, the group with the bone clubs have been losing, because the other group discovered a new method of killing. Hacking the other person to death." As Dalin spoke the two groups demonstrated by increasing the rate of their violent actions.

Suddenly the group with the bone clubs let out a wild cry of terror and began to flee, leaving their dead to rot in the snow. All that was left for them now was retreat and fear, as they knew that death awaited them behind. "The bone wielders had met the blade wielders in one last clash for power, and they were sent running in utter defeat. It became obvious that this would be their final moments of existence."

The blade wielders followed up with a ferocious bellow of their own, and began to chase after the retreating bone wielders. These crude humans were out for blood, and they wouldn't stop until every last one of their foes was dead beneath their feet. "Then the sky was ripped asunder."

Just as Dalin said, the clouds high up above seemed to boil away as a massive ball of fire shot down, splitting the heavens asunder. Both groups stopped to stare as the enormous fiery object hurtled down at immense speeds, its blazing heat already heating them up. "From deep within space a meteor came, and it changed everything."

The blade wielders stared dumbly at the approaching meteor, unaware of what would happen in mere seconds. As the bone wielders watched in an equally stupid manner the huge meteor slammed into the ground, blasting it apart and sending a shockwave of energy that buried them all beneath the snow and ice.

"The meteor struck the blade wielders directly, and the entire tribe was incinerated. Not even a single trace of them remained, but their rivals were much luckier. A small handful of them survived, enough to be able to return to the women of the tribe and repopulate." Again the scene changed as six of the bone wielders pulled themselves out of the snow.

"They saw what had become of their foes, they saw what had happened to those that had tried to struck them down. And for the first time in human existence, a belief in a form of divine providence began to appear." The six men staggered forwards, trudging through the snow towards the rapidly cooling meteor that lay in a several hundred foot wide crater.

"Neither tribe had any true language to speak of, let alone written word. All they could do was make shapes, and that was the closest thing they could come to making language or written word. Believing that this meteor had come to save them, they began to worship it, and they carved upon it a symbol of their reverence." As they all watched a small number of men in furs chipped away at a small spot on the remains of the meteor, creating something.

They pulled away, revealing exactly what they had made. Standing out in relief against the stark black meteor rock was a the vague shape of a human face, padded with snow to make it pure and white. Then one of the moment held his hand up and sliced it with an obsidian knife taken from the blade wielders. He placed his hand against a fur, and used it to dab at the snowy mask, turning the upper right corner of the face red. "They created a god in the image of what they thought was most perfect."

The group looked away from the scene below and over at the god that floated behind them. His scarlet robes were completely ignored as they focused on his face. A pure white mask with blank holes for eyes and no mouth whatsoever. The upper right corner was a blood red color. "By god..."

"Years passed, and a civilization grew from these petty tribes, but always they continued to worship this face that they had carved into the rock, always keeping it fresh and in order. Their lives were crude, and every person had a specific task to do. If anyone was unable to do their task they became a burden on the group and had to be gotten rid of in order to keep the rest alive." They shivered as a group of large men fell upon an elderly man and beat him senseless, throwing him out of a crude village that had grown up around the meteor.

"Eventually, at some unknown date they began to develop language, and they began to worship this mask, this meteor, in a way that they hadn't before. They began to create a faith based around the way their lives worked, around their desire to survive and live in peace and order. And at last they gave their god a name." A whisper went up amongst the people of the village as an older man in nice furs addressed the rest, speaking a single word.

The villagers repeated this word again and again, and as they did the eyes of the human face forged into rock began to glow, and soon prismatic energy was visible behind the hollows of those eyes. "By giving their god a name, they gave it life. The being of energy, or whatever a god may be defined as was there, but it had no definition. They had created for themselves a God of Order."

"Flash forward over hundreds of thousands of years later, to what we might consider approximately six or seven thousand years ago. The shape of the Earth had changed, and these people's faith had grown even more fanatic as the power of Order was proved to them time and time again. All those that came to attack them were obliterated by some unknown power, or they would fall into worship of the God of Order. Those that worshiped eventually left, expanding the word of this god and its influence."

Men and women scattered around the world spoke to one another in whispers and hushed tones, fearing the others around them hearing. "It went in secret, developing a base of religious power that covered the globe across every single point. In no single place did this religious power take true root except for in that one village, which was rapidly growing into a city. But the seeds were planted everywhere, and amongst every other religion there were at least a handful who worshiped this God of Order."

The scene shifted to a view of the expanded village, with crude buildings that vaguely resembled houses. The meteor still remained in the same spot, only vines and trees grew out of it, making it a flowering beautiful object. Still in the same spot in relief against the rest of the rock was the face shape, now painted.

"Flash forwards forward again, now to roughly four thousand years ago. For the first time in existence this group that worshiped the God of Order encountered a foe that could not be conquered by the power that had been granted to them, for this foe wielding similar divine power." Done below them the villagers screamed in terror as rampaging men in armor and wielding swords slaughtered everyone the encountered, hurling torches onto the buildings.

"In a moment of true divine intervention the God of Order selected the seven best warriors of those who worshiped him and granted them special powers. Suddenly they could wield enormous magical energies, they could wield the elements of life and death themselves! Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Lightning, Light, and Darkness!"

Suddenly the invaders were the ones on the run as seven men walked amongst their ranks, unleashing death around them. Bolts of fire and arcs of lightning scorched the soldiers as they ran, while the earth itself swallowed them up. The invaders broke, and they died one by one until none remained.

"Only a small handful of the invaders actually escaped, and they spread word of this amazing power. The power of these seven individuals who eventually became known as the Knights of Order. But that name they wouldn't earn until the first millennia of the current calender. First, something happened." Time passed again, and suddenly the expanded village was surrounded by a mass of flesh that went on for as far as the eye could see. An army the likes of which the village had never seen before.

"Determined to prove their power over a hundred different cultures dispatched their greatest warriors into the fray, and in a battle of greater violence and bloodshed than any seen before or since they did their worst. The God of Order merged the power of his seven warriors, creating a general for them capable of wielding much of the same power. Together these eight men unleashed hell upon their gathered opponents."

The battle could be seen below them, and the only word to describe it was 'carnage'. Bodies were strewn for miles, with things done to them that could barely be conceived in this day and age. "When it seemed that the tide of men would all be struck down by the God of Order's mightiest warriors, a new power stepped forwards. A power so ancient that it even predated the conception of the God of Order's power."

Light enveloped the entire field of battle, and when it faded the remaining men were left to stagger away, and no sign was left of the seven deadly warriors. "Having bested these deadly foes those who wielded this ancient power gathered together around the meteor, and sacrificed their lives in order to make sure that no such warriors could be born again. They would seal away the God of Order, making it impossible for the god to influence the world."

A dozen or so men circled the meteor, and bright light burst from their bodies and converged on the meteor. When the light faded, so did they, their bodies burned away by the power they had unleashed. "So the God of Order was left to wallow within the form given to him by his worshipers, a simple mask. Three thousand years later the first signs of the weakening of his prison appeared in the land known as Israel, as eight men fought bastions of the Christians and Muslims, and burned them away with their power. It was during those Crusades that the Knights of Order got their name."

"Flash forward again, to the year 2000. The prison has weakened to an even greater extent, and those who still worship the God of Order are given a vision of what they must do. So preparations begin, and within five years time their plans would come to fruition, releasing and giving form to their God. All that was needed to release him was some of the ancient power that had sealed him away previously."

This time it was a scene that most of them knew. The animated red robe, with mask intact that was Eikyuu before he gained full form stood over Drake, and lights shimmered around them. When the light faded, Drake was gone, and Eikyuu's body was solid. "And I think we're all caught up, don't you?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The group blinked in surprise as they found themselves suddenly back in the snowy surroundings of where their duel had been and was still going on. "Yes Eikyuu, your power that comes from the people who worship you, those people who have anger and hatred in their hearts. As much as you influence them, they influence you as well. Their rules are what give you power, they can control you, not the other way around. They just don't know it."

Dalin's glowing silver eyes seemed to touch Eikyuu's, and the god felt a sense of certainty that this mortal was correct in some way. "I know how it must be done, I know exactly what must happen. So I will do my part, and to do so I will have to unleash my true power against you! Next turn you will face all of my strength!"

Instantly Dalin snapped his hand of cards back open, and took one of them and shoved it into his cemetery slot. "I discard Holy Shine Sphere in order to gain one thousand life points!" Energy surged into his body, reinforcing his life points. (DLP: 5800)

Seeing that Dalin was once again ready to duel the others returned to their spaces, and watched his move continue. "It's time to complete my set of monsters! So I summon Seraphim Guardna(1000/2000) in attack mode, who instantly gains three hundred points for every angel in play!"

This new angel had a heavy looking shield in front of it, and looked dead serious. "It's time to begin! Seraphim Guardna(2600/3600), Seraphim Sabre(3200/3100), Seraphim Gunner(3400/2800), and Sol, Angel of Justice(2400/2400) will now all attack God of Necromancy!"

Seraphim Guardna hurled his shield like a boomerang, only to have a Holy Shine Sphere appear and be blown apart instead. Seraphim Gunner swung its blade and sent wave of holy energy at God of Necromancy that was blocked by a Ascended Man. Seraphim Gunner's shot was blocked as well as Sol's. "Necromantic Defense blocks each strike, dealing a total of twelve hundred damage." (DLP: 4600)

Dalin smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "My turn ends, leaving me with four angels in my cemetery. I believe that it is now Kirani's turn."

Kirani drew, and frowned at Eikyuu's field. She had no idea what to expect, but in the end she still had to try. "God of Necromancy is about to go down! I summon Gilford of Thunder(1800/400) in attack mode!"

Her warrior appeared and unsheathed his blade, instantly activating his effect. "Now I get to draw two new cards, one from the top of my deck and one from the bottom!"

She glanced at one of the two cards she had just drawn, and slid it into her duel disk. "I activate this special magic card, Crash of Thunder! During this turn you can't chain any magic or trap cards to the attack or summoning of a monster with 'Gilford' in its name."

Sparks flashed across Eikyuu's face down cards, preventing him from using them against her monsters. "Now that the way is cleared, it's time to go on the attack. Gilford the Lightning, attack God of Necromancy!"

Eikyuu's head titled to the side slightly in his signature form of a frown. God of Necromancy motioned to cracked ground beneath it, and a corpse form of one of Kirani's monsters appeared. It was cut in half, and bits of its flesh struck her. "Once again Necromantic Defense protects my monster." (KLP: 1600)

"It won't be protected any longer! My cemetery is now completely empty of monsters, so Gilford of Thunder is going to do what he does best: destroy monsters. Go Gilford, bring down God of Necromancy once and for all!" The smaller warrior charged forwards and jumped straight at the god.

Eikyuu simply stood there, unable to do anything as Kirani's monster slammed its blade into the chest of his god monster. Gilford of Thunder dragged the blade through God of Necromancy's chest, splitting it in half and blowing it apart. "And that's the end of your god monster!" (ELP: 10600)

"Your efforts will ultimately prove useless. In my next turn I may revive God of Necromancy by removing a monster from my cemetery. Since I have one remaining I may do so. Your turn is over I believe." Kirani grimaced at the god's cocky attitude, but realized that he was right.

"I'm done, you're right about that. But first I set one card face down. Now go ahead and do your worst, once you get the chance. Misuno, I hope you have a way up your sleeve to take down God of Might, because I've got nothing here." She directed a hopeful glance towards the spirit, but he only shook his head.

Kirani and Hikari frowned even as Misuno drew, and was sucked dry of some of his life points. Misuno gritted his teeth against the pain, no longer having his sister's card to fortify him against the decrease in life points. "Breath of Undeath drains my life points." (MLP: 3500)

"I can think of no way to defeat God of Might. Since divine monsters cannot be destroyed by most effects, and God of Might is always stronger than the monster it battles, it seems like an impossible monster to beat." He frowned, trying hard to come up with some way to defeat the deadly monster, but nothing was coming.

"Leave God of Might to me. I will deal with the power of that creature myself, with my true power." Misuno glanced over at Dalin, who returned the look with utter confidence. Somehow Misuno believed him, despite how impossible it seemed.

"Alright then, I will! First, since Dark Mimic LV1 is on my field I can send it to the cemetery in order to special summon Dark Mimic LV3(1000/1000) from my hand or deck to the field!" The demonic treasure chest mutated, becoming more fanciful and impressive as its power increased.

"When Dark Mimic LV3 is destroyed in battle I get to draw one card, but since I special summoned it with the effect of LV1 instead I'll get to draw two cards. So come and destroy my monsters, I dare you!" He snickered, knowing that despite the power of God of Might, it was still limited.

"I see the weakness of your god! Although it is powerful, it isn't unstoppable! It's attack points are always greater than whatever it battles by a difference of one thousand points, but that means it's one thousand stronger regardless of how powerful our monsters are. One billion or one thousand, it doesn't matter, you still can't exceed one thousand damage using that beast." Dalin nodded briefly, having seen the same thing himself earlier.

"Since attacking God of Might would be fruitless, even despite the relatively minor damage, I have little else I can do at the moment. So I end my turn with the simple move of setting one monster face down." A brown backed card appeared next to the treasure chest demon, and his turn was finished.

Misuno nodded to Takuya, who proceeded to draw his own card. Then his continuous magic card kicked in, and energy surged around his body. "Will of Knights now reinforces my life points with a combined total of one thousand life points since I have five knights in play!" (TLP: 1650)

The former Knight of Order stopped a mental command in mid-stride as he realized something. "The ancient power, that was the Hearts of Man right? Well, what exactly are the Hearts of Man, and how come certain people aren't affected by you?"

Dalin shook his head, frowning as he did so. "That was the one aspect that I was unable to determine. Right now the only person who could possibly answer that question would be Eikyuu."

Eikyuu stood silent for a moment, and then he spoke in his deep and somehow frightening voice. "In a time unrecorded by any human beings, there was no magic to speak of, none whatsoever. Magic as it can be called was the pure realm of high beings such as myself, those that would one day become known as gods. Or at least it was until one human being stumbled upon that power."

The god paused as if considering what to say, and then continued. "This human being unleashed upon himself the purest energies of magic, the most primal force of it. This energy became welled in this human's very soul, every particle of his being was suffused in it. This pure power of magic, the ultimate energy of lower beings like humans...became known as the True Heart of Man."

Eikyuu made a passing gesture with one gloved hand, and a glowing circle appeared above them. "Consider that this circle represents the True Heart of Man. This human was capable of virtually anything, he was a man that was a god, he was both man and god at the same time. As his lineage passed down, the power became diluted, breaking into aspects of mankind's self."

The circle began to fragment, turning into dozens of circles, then hundreds, multiplying until there were millions of motes of light. "Those that cannot feel my touch, those that are The Fallen, are those descended from the True Heart of Man or who are under one's protection. Only a small few of these descendants are capable of actually tapping this power and unleashing the Heart of Man from within themself. You are some of those capable of this."

The motes of light vanished, and Eikyuu turned to look at Takuya. "Does this explanation sufficiently satisfy you?" Takuya nodded, and shook his head, trying to wrap it around the concept that he was a descendent of the first human being to ever use magic.

"That makes sense I guess, and it'll certainly do. So I'll finish my turn up by having Knight on Six attack your life points directly!" The quick footed knight hurled a knife at the god, who simply stood and let it strike him. The knife collided with the god's mask, and bounced off. (ELP: 10200)

Hikari instantly drew, and held out her card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two new cards!" She slipped two more off her deck and added them to her hand. She looked at the two new cards, and then took a different card from her hand and held it out with those two.

"I activate Polymerization, fusing together Berfomet and Gazelle into Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast(2100/1800)." The two-headed winged beast appeared on her field and roared with both of its heads. Sadly it was still no match for God of Might, since no monster could match it in direct combat.

"Now I'll sacrifice Chimera since it was a special summon. This will bring out Perseus, the Legendary Warrior(2600/2400) in attack mode!" A mighty looking warriors took Chimera's place, drawing his sword and flashing Hikari a rakish and confident smile.

"I'll activate an effect of his and special summon The Legendary Pegasus(2200/1400) from my hand to the field!" A beautiful white winged horse descended from the skies and landed next to Perseus. The warrior smiled and stroked its head, causing it to nuzzle up against him.

"Since that move emptied my hand and since I can't attack you, my turn is dead. That means at long last it's your turn again Eikyuu." The god held up his hand of cards, and two new ones appeared, giving him a total of three. Hikari frowned at the number, remembering her experience with it during the Trials.

"I remove my last monster from the cemetery to special summon God of Necromancy(1600/1600) to the field in attack mode." The half rotted monster clawed its way out of the ground once more, standing beside the spiked behemoth that was God of Might.

"Now, because I have a divine type on the field I am able to summon this monster. Come out Holy Sentinel(0/4000) in defense mode." A monster in the same blue armor as the Divine Soldier appeared, only it held a massive shield in front of it instead of wielding a sword like Divine Soldier did.

Blue bonds of energy began to surge through the three monsters and flow into Eikyuu's body. The group frowned as they watched the power build up and pulse through his continuous magic card. "Prayer Blessings grants me fifteen hundred life points." (ELP: 11500)

Eikyuu glanced at each of his four opponents in turn, and then finally settled his prismatic gaze on Kirani. "God of Might(3800) will attack Gilford the Lightning!"

The massive spiked god pointed its arm at the warrior and a rain of spikes shot straight out. Kirani grimaced and pressed a button on her duel disk, causing a spray of water to block the oncoming spikes. "Squall Barrier negates your attack and lets me add a monster with 'Gilford' in its name from my deck to my hand."

"You will be crushed underneath the power of my order, the power of god. By paying one thousand life points I can allow Holy Sentinel to attack even from defense mode using its defense points. Holy Sentinel will attack Gilford of Thunder." Kirani's eyes widened as the blue armored soldier hefted his shield and hurled it like a boomerang directly at her weaker monster. (ELP: 10500)

She say some of the others reach for their face down cards, but she waved them off. "I can handle this on my own, keep your cards to protect yourselves. Just watch! Activate trap, Soul of Gilford!"

Gilford the Lightning's eyes widened as he saw the shield heading straight for his younger companion. He immediately jumped in the way and the shield sliced across his middle and then swung back around to be caught by Holy Sentinel. "Thank you Gilford the Lightning, your death is not in vain."

Eikyuu shook his head in disdain, watching silently as Gilford the Lightning faded from the field. "Foolish girl, these monsters are not significant, regardless of their reality in the realm of darkness. Their deaths do not matter."

"That's just because you're a bastard who can't even begin to comprehend human emotion. You don't understand love or compassion or anything else that's good and pure. All you understand is Order and Purpose. And if I had to choose between a chaos that allows things like love, then I'd choose it any day over your mindless order!" Eikyuu's eyes darkened again at her comments, but this time he didn't lash out, knowing it would be useless in this realm.

"Explain your trap card. Why was Gilford the Lightning able to intercept the attack and yet no damage was dealt to you." Kirani held the trap card up so Eikyuu could see it even as she explained.

"Soul of Gilford lets me sacrifice Gilford the Lightning to negate one attack aimed at another Gilford on my field. Not only that, but I gain Gilford the Lightning's attack as life points. So he truly did save me." Energy rose up from Gilford's fading body and trickled into Kirani, restoring previously lost life points. (KLP: 4400)

Takuya grinned at seeing her life points shoot up like that. Although they were still behind Eikyuu in life points and he had general field control, it felt like they were catching up. "More moves like that and we can take Eikyuu down, I'm sure of it."

Dalin was still grim faced, but Misuno and Hikari both flashed Kirani congratulatory smiles for holding off Eikyuu as well as she had. So far their efforts at halting the god's assaults hadn't faired very well. "If you mortals are finished congratulating one another, my move shall continue."

Eikyuu held out one card and energy began to bubble up from it. The card itself vanished and was then instantly replaced by another blue backed card. "My magic card Grapes of Wrath allows me to add the continuous magic card Wrath of the Almighty from my deck to my hand. Wrath of the Almighty cannot enter my hand under any other circumstances."

They all frowned, not liking the sound of the card in the slightest. "I activate the continuous magic card Wrath of the Almighty. During my next turn it will allow me to pay one thousand life points for its special effect. Until that moment, my turn is ended."

All eyes now turned towards Dalin who had two fingers on the top card of his deck. "Prepare yourself Eikyuu, for in this turn my true strength will be revealed, and all of your defenses and your power will crumble! Now, I draw!"

The card slid off his deck, and he held it up above his head. Light shimmered around it, pulsing across the field. God of Necromancy, God of Might, and Holy Sentinel all inched backwards away from that bright light. "This is your fate Eikyuu, and this is my power. Behold my truest strength!"

He slammed the card down on his field, and everything was consumed by that holy golden light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Next chapter Dalin unleashes his true power(duh) and Eikyuu responds with his own true strength. Prepare for a true clash of the titans in the next chapter of Shadowed Light of My Heart!

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Yep. And this is Eikyuu stuff now.

The White Mage: That other thing is in fact part of another of my stories.

WolfGeneral: And here's how they do against Eikyuu.

Time Mage: Segway into Duel That Spans The Dimensions actually, which eventually leads to Dimension Gate. If it makes you feel any better, Den of Thieves is also highly broken.

VoidTemplar: The dimension was indeed WolfGeneral's. That's the lead off to Drake's first duel with Rikuo.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Dalin: Sol, Angel of Justice

Kirani: Gilford of Thunder, Crash of Thunder, Squall Barrier, Soul of Gilford

Takuya: Will of Knights, Knight on Six

Hikari: Perseus the Legendary Warrior, The Legendary Pegasus

Eikyuu: God of Necromancy, God of Might, Holy Sentinel, Prayer Blessings, Grapes of Wrath, Wrath of the Almighty

_Anime Cards_

Dalin: Seraphim Gunner, Seraphim Sabre, Seraphim Guardna


	44. Heaven Shatters!

Author's Notes: Part 5 of the Eikyuu duel starts now!

_**Chapter Forty-Three: Heaven Shatters!**_

_All eyes now turned towards Dalin who had two fingers on the top card of his deck. "Prepare yourself Eikyuu, for in this turn my true strength will be revealed, and all of your defenses and your power will crumble! Now, I draw!"_

_The card slid off his deck, and he held it up above his head. Light shimmered around it, pulsing across the field. God of Necromancy, God of Might, and Holy Sentinel all inched backwards away from that bright light. "This is your fate Eikyuu, and this is my power. Behold my truest strength!"_

_He slammed the card down on his field, and everything was consumed by that holy golden light. _

Seraphim Guardna, Seraphim Sabre, and Seraphim Gunner all shuddered as their bodies were compress together, forming three spheres of energy. Those spheres shot together and created an even larger ball of light. "I sacrifice Seraphim Guardna, Seraphim Sabre, and Seraphim Gunner to summon a god beyond the strength of your petty monsters!"

The expanding sphere of energy died down slightly, revealing what was within. What was revealed was in fact a golden sphere all of it's own, and didn't appear to be much of a monster at all. But those duelists gathered together, including Eikyuu, all knew what this beast was.

"Meet the Winged Divine Dragon of Ra(9200/9500)! Or at least you will meet him once I unlock him from his sealed state and unleash his wrath upon you." Dalin closed his glowing silver eyes for a moment, and then he began to chant.

"_Great beast of the sky, hear my cry, Transform thyself from orb of light and lend your power to me in this fight. Envelope the desert with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe. Unlock your powers deep within so that together we may win. Appear to me as I call your name. The Winged Divine Dragon of Ra!_" The moment he finished reciting the text on the card, the sphere began to unlock itself.

Eikyuu watched passively as the massive golden dragon that was Ra descended from above in its full glory, ready to unleash its power against the opposing gods. As soon as it had fully touched down it shrieked at the gods on Eikyuu's side of the field, and they responded in kind. "It appears that these gods of opposing faiths cannot stand the sight of each other. So now is the time to decide precisely which god is the strongest."

Dalin nodded and flipped one of the two cards in his hand around, revealing a green grinning pot. "I use the power of Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He slid another pair of cards off his deck and felt the power flow through him and to the cards. He knew without looking what they were capable of.

Misuno stared up at Ra's massive form and his eyes widened in awe. "It's been millennium since I have seen the true shape of that beast, it is a wonder that it has remained the same even in its card representation. Pegasus did a truly masterful job with this beast. Ra's holy glow...it's awesome power...that must be the key to defeating Eikyuu."

Despite Misuno's words, a chill ran down Takuya's spine. _'My warrior's intuition is telling me that it won't be as easy as Misuno might think it could be. I've got the feeling that things are just now starting to get heated up.'_

Kirani and Hikari had no idea what to think. Although Kirani had seen Ra in action before, it still amazed her the pure power that this monster possessed. Hikari on the other hand had never seen Ra before, and even Osiris' power that she had felt paled in comparison to Ra's. _'It's amazing...'_

The mighty Dalin held his hand out in front of his cemetery slot and held up seven different cards, each one a monster. "These seven cards and God of Necromancy are the boundary between Ra and your life points. So I must break down that barrier before I can succeed."

"You have only two monsters capable of attacking God of Necromancy with any degree of success, therefor it is impossible to destroy that barrier. In addition to this you cannot defeat God of Might in battle, regardless of the brute power of your god. As long as God of Necromancy is in play I can also negate the destructive ability of Ra. You cannot break this barrier." If Eikyuu had been a normal duelist, or even had any mouth to speak of, he would have been smirking at that very moment.

Dalin's eyes snapped open, and a silver aura flared up around his body. His power shook the ground around him and he held up one of the two cards he had drawn. "I activate the magic card God's Breath Cannon! This magic card will along Winged Divine Dragon of Ra to continue attacking the opponent provided he still has monsters on the field."

In this situation, had Eikyuu had real eyes they would have widened in surprise. For the first time in the duel Eikyuu had no way to truly respond in reaction to this. "In other words...you can continue attacking until all of my monsters are destroyed. Only God of Might is capable of fending off Ra's attacks."

"We'll see about that won't we? Winged Divine Dragon of Ra, attack God of Necromancy! God's Breath Cannon!" The golden dragon opened up its beak and fired a beam of pure golden energy at the half-rotted god.

"Necromantic Defense!" A corpse form of Seraphim Gunner appeared in the path of the attack and was blown away. Dalin barely even seemed to notice its demise, and merely tucked the card into his back pocket, leaving six cards left. (DLP: 4300)

"God's Breath Cannon!" The golden energy wave was next intercepted by Seraphim Sabre, who was vaporized in less than a second. Still God of Necromancy remained, but Dalin had only five more points to burn away before the barrier between him and Eikyuu's life points was destroyed utterly. (DLP: 4000)

"Attack again! God's Breath Cannon!" Seraphim Guardna was the sacrifice for the next attack, absorbing the blast and protecting God of Necromancy. Dalin calmly added the angel to his back pocket along with the other two. (DLP: 3700)

"Again! God's Breath Cannon!" Uranus, Angel of Good Will appear and was ripped to pieces by Ra's power. Dalin took the damage without flinching, and slipped Uranus into his pocket. Now he had knocked down four points of the barrier. (DLP: 3400)

"And again! God's Breath Cannon!" Ascend Man rose up out of the ground, its flesh falling from its body, and took the beam of energy square in the face. Dalin refused to back down in this moment, even as his own monsters were destroyed to protect his opponent. (DLP: 3100)

"Continue the attack! God's Breath Cannon!" Neptune, Angel of Emancipation was the next victim in the line of sacrifices for the defense of Eikyuu and his life points. But with its destruction and removal the final piece of the puzzle was removed, and now the path was clear. (DLP: 2800)

"The barrier has broken down, and the time is now. Winged Divine Dragon of Ra, obliterate God of Necromancy with your God's Breath Cannon!" Ra shrieked in triumph, its raging power shattering the opposing god and ripping into Eikyuu's life points. For the first time in the entire duel Eikyuu took a significant amount of damage. (ELP: 2900)

"One more time! God's Breath Cannon!" Ra continued attacking, sweeping the energy attack across from the previous point of impact and directly into Holy Sentinel. The lower level divine monster's shield held briefly, but then it buckled under and the monster was consumed by the higher god's power.

"God of Might remains untouched and untouchable, and in my next turn I will eliminate Winged Divine Dragon of Ra and remove it as a threat once and for all. Although you have succeeded in damaging my life points, it is merely superficial." Dalin paused for a moment upon hearing this, and then snapped the other card he had drawn from Pot of Greed up, and showed it to Eikyuu.

"I'm far from finished! Activate quick-play magic card, Dance of the Phoenix! This card instantly allows Ra to transform into its phoenix mode and use its ability to destroy one monster on the field, free of charge. Ra, Dance of the Phoenix!" The golden dragon flew up into the air, and converted its entire body into that of a fiery phoenix. Then it descended upon God of Might.

"God of Might is a tier two god, whereas Ra is a tier three god. Even the immunities of God of Might are as nothing against the power of the Winged Divine Dragon of Ra. Watch as the last barrier to your life points crumbles!" Eikyuu was forced backwards nearly a foot as the flames exploded all around him, burning away the remains of his god.

Ra returned to its normal shape and back to Dalin's field, shrieking its triumph at having obliterated all of the opposing gods. "Since that was a quick-play magic card, it's still my battle phase. So, Sol the Angel of Justice(2400/2400), attack Eikyuu directly!"

A beam of white light collided with Eikyuu's chest, but unlike the attack of Ra this one didn't even phase him. He merely brushed it off. But what he couldn't brush off was the damage that the attack had done to his life points. "You're just one step away from defeat!" (ELP: 500)

Kirani, thoroughly overjoyed, punched her fist into the air. "That's the way to do it! The one-two combo that takes Eikyuu down is the power of Ra, the strongest of the gods! Show him how it's really done Dalin!"

Misuno smirked, proud that one of his own comrades in arms was capable of such strength. "Sumatin, you never cease to amaze. Not even Eikyuu can stand against your strength."

Hikari stuck her tongue out at Eikyuu, dancing from foot to foot. "Take that you mask with a super-sized ego! You just can't beat the power of the human heart, no matter how hard you try!"

Even Takuya, who had previously been uncertain of the likelihood of Ra's success was now jumping for joy. "One more blow and Eikyuu's down for the count! This whole ordeal is just about ended."

Dalin slashed his hand through the air, an obvious command for silence. The other three let their cries of joy die down, and Dalin was ready to continue. "As successful as that move was, it is merely one step on the path to defeating Eikyuu. If we want this to continue, then we have to use all of our strength for it. This is how."

He held up the last card in his hand and flipped it around, showing a man raising up his arms as coins rained down around him from the sky. "Card of Sanctity now allows each player to draw until they hold six cards."

Dalin swiftly drew six cards, fanning them out to take a look at them. Kirani picked up four cards from the top of her deck, as did Takuya. Hikari and Misuno each drew six cards, while Eikyuu had five appear in his hand. "Now that we have all replenished our hands, I will eliminate the very final barrier. Your face down cards."

"I activate the magic card Wingbeat of God! This magic card activates only if a divine type monster is in play, and it will instantly destroy all non-divine cards in play, negating any effects as it does so!" Ra flew up into the air and flapped its wings, sending fire raining down upon the field. His three allies gasped in horror as their fields were burned away, but took solace in the fact that Eikyuu's cards were also eliminated and he had just five hundred life points left.

Eikyuu flared his own power, pushing away the flames and making them die out. The last burst of flames had completely melted the snow around them, leaving them standing on barren rock in a one hundred foot circle free of snow. "Your efforts are impressive, however Wrath of the Almighty cannot be destroyed by any effect once activated. So it remains in play."

"That doesn't matter. You already stated that Wrath of the Almighty cannot activate its effect until your next turn. There are three duelists who have turns before you do, and your field is utterly barren besides that one currently useless card. Prepare for defeat Eikyuu, as for now I set one card face down. End turn!" One card appeared behind Ra, making those two cards and Eikyuu's continuous card the only ones in play.

Kirani fanned out her seven card hand, and saw exactly what she could do. This was her chance to finish of Eikyuu. Although she would make the killing blow, she knew that in reality it was Dalin who had saved the day. "Let's end this Eikyuu! Gilford the Swift(1400/500) in attack mode!"

Eikyuu did his little head tilt frown thing, but still remained as impassive as ever. Kirani's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out whether or not there was a good reason for Eikyuu to be so calm in this situation. _'Does he not care that he's going to lose? Is he trying to bluff me? Or does he actually have a method of fighting back?'_

She knew perfectly well that in this circumstance or in any other she was the one who had to make the choice. She was going to have to decide. _'Oh screw it, he can't possibly have a way to fend off the attack. Even if he does, Misuno, Takuya, and Hikari are all waiting in the wings if this doesn't go through.'_

With her decision made, she was ready. "Gilford the Swift, attack Eikyuu directly!" The rapier wielding warrior darted forwards, weaving in and out of the rubble. He got within a few feet of Eikyuu and raised his blade to make the final strike.

"Bow before your master. Bow in awe of my divine light." To Kirani's great surprise, Gilford the Swift did exactly as Eikyuu directed. He sheathed his rapier and bowed at the god's feet.

"What are you doing? Go on out and attack him! You can't just sit there and let him tell you what to do!" Eikyuu made a shooing gesture with his hand, and the warrior scuttled back to Kirani, bowing the whole time.

"He obeys because he must. My magic card Holy Awe, which can be activated at any time from my hand, prevents any monster from engaging in battle until the end phase of my next turn. Your pathetic attempt to defeat me has failed." The group grimaced, realizing that their best chance at taking down Eikyuu once and for all had failed.

"If I can't go on the attack, then I'll just have to wait it out until I can. Two cards face down, then that's all." Two cards appeared behind her monster, and then Kirani placed her hands on her hips to wait until her next turn.

Misuno frowned at his hand of cards, then glanced over at Dalin and Kirani. "Sumatin, I was respecting you previously, but next time don't go and do something that fucking reckless okay?"

Dalin simply ignored the comment, leaving Misuno to continue his move. "Fine! If I get nothing from you, then you'll get nothing from me. We're in this together whether you like it or not, but don't expect me to help you. I'll help the rest of you, but not Sumatin."

"Do as you wish, I don't care. Simply continue the duel." The others looked at Dalin strangely. He was acting rather differently than he did in most duels. There was something even more intense than normal about him, and it wasn't his shining silver eyes.

The spirit felt anger bubbling up in his chest at Dalin's attitude, but knew that it would be pointless to lash out. Most of his anger came from his sister's defeat and from Eikyuu's arrogance. "Very well then, I begin my turn with one monster in defense mode!"

It appeared face down in front of him, hanging lonely above the rocky ground, with no other cards behind it. "Finally I set two cards face down. Since the rest of my cards were obliterated, I'm done for now."

Takuya drew and closed his eyes, feeling a chill run down his spine. That bad feeling was coming back again, and he didn't know how to react to it. "I don't know what sort of power you've got waiting for us Eikyuu, but I'll do my best to oppose it. And I start with this card: Poker Grave Fusion!"

The ground in front of his feet began to swirl, and three figures rose up out of it. "Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight fuse together from the graveyard in order to form Arcana Knight Joker(3800/3000) who sadly appears in defense mode."

Each of the three knights warped together, and what emerged from the warp was a towering knight with a blade in each hand and fantastic armor. "Arcana Knight Joker is a powerful monster, but power isn't what I need right now. So it's time to say goodbye to him. Go, Defusion!"

Hikari looked at him as if he was crazy, but he merely flashed her a grin and slid the fusion monster into his cemetery. Then he fished out the three fusion components and slammed them each down onto his Duel Pod. "Defusion breaks Arcana Knight Joker into his component pieces of Queen's Knight(1500/1600), King's Knight(1600/1400), and Jack's Knight(1900/1000). They all are summoned in defense mode!"

Eikyuu didn't blink at the sudden appearance of three monsters on his field. Takuya knew by now that no force, not even a god, would make Eikyuu blink. After all, he didn't have real eyes. "If you think three monsters so fast is impressive, watch this. Knight of Ten(1800/1600) in attack mode!"

A tall warrior in white armor with ten horizontal red stripes across its chest materialized next to Jack's Knight. The two greeted each other with slight bows, and then energy began to surge off to their right. "If Knight of Ten and Jack's Knight are together I can special summon Ace's Knight(2400/1500) from my hand or deck to the field!"

The new monster that completed his set of five was taller than the rest, and had seamless white armor. In his right hand he held a massive claymore that looked light the way he was holding it. "I can see that you don't know the significance of this set-up. Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. When it comes to poker, you just can't beat that set-up. Give me a few turns and I'll show you why."

"Show me whatever you wish. No power can stand against my wrath." Takuya nodded, not bothered in the least by Eikyuu's reply. What he was still bothered by was the chill that was running up his spine.

"I've just got one more play to make. First I set one magic or trap card face down. Then I play the normal magic card B.S.! According to the first step of this card's effect, I have to draw a card." He followed suit, and looked at the card.

"Now that I've drawn it, I have to declare what type of card it is. Of course I don't have to tell the truth. After I've declared the type of card, you get to choose to let it lie, which means believing I told the truth, or you can declare 'bull shit' which means I'm lying." He smirked and waggled the card back and forth.

"Here's the problem though, doing either is a risk. If you let it lie, then at the end of the turn I gain two thousand life points. If you declare 'bull shit' then I have to show you the card. If I lied about what type it is and you declared bull shit, then I take two thousand damage which would kill me right now. If you declare bull shit but I was telling the truth, you take two thousand damage, which would kill you right now." Takuya felt his heart begin to pound, his nerves racing as he continued his move.

This one move could make or break the duel for either of them. There was no telling what sort of way Eikyuu would choose, so it was a risky move to make. "Here we go Eikyuu, I declare trap!"

There was a pause of several seconds, in which Takuya controlled himself perfectly, preventing any nervousness from showing. It wouldn't do to show any sign of nerves in a situation such as this. "Well, what's it gonna be big guy?"

"I choose to let it lie." Takuya sighed in relief, and hung his head as his turn ended. That meant that he would get to continue the duel in a better position, but it also meant that Eikyuu was still in the game. (TLP: 3650)

Hikari snapped up a card off her deck, and instantly threw it onto the field. A golden armored man was the monster that appeared. "Meet The Creator Incarnate(1600/1600)! But he won't stay long, because I sacrifice him to special summon The Creator(2300/3000) from my hand to the field!"

The warrior transformed, becoming a towering being of gold who had his arms spread out in an accepting gesture. "Once per turn this monster lets me discard one card from my hand to special summon a monster from the cemetery. So I'll discard and revive The Legendary Kraken(2800/2000)!"

Once again the giant squid appeared floating above her field in all its squidish glory. Now she had two powerful monsters in play, and four cards remained in her hand. "Since just like the others I can't attack yet, I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

A new blue card took shape next to Eikyuu's other five cards, giving him a few too many options. Each of them, except for Dalin, felt apprehension at the thought of Eikyuu having so many chances to recover. "I begin with Body of the Sanctioned, removing God of Might, God of Necromancy, and Holy Sentinel from the cemetery."

The three named cards appeared in massive form in front of him, just in card shapes, not as monsters. "By removing all monsters in my cemetery, I can increase my life points by five hundred points for each level of the removed monsters."

Each card shattered, and various points of energy floated up from each of them. Ten from God of Might, eight from God of Necromancy, and four from Holy Sentinel. "Total that is twenty-two stars, so I gain eleven thousand life points."

Misuno cursed under his breath as all twenty-two points of energy were sucked up into Eikyuu's body, undoing every ounce of damage that Dalin had done in the previous turn. _'How can we kill him if he can recover his life points so quickly?' _(ELP: 11500)

Dalin's silver eyes shifted to look at Eikyuu's face-up continuous magic card. The god saw his line of sight, and nodded. "I initiate the effect of Wrath of the Almighty. By paying one thousand life points I may special summon one divine type monster from my deck to the field." (ELP: 10500)

A shape began to emerge from the hole in the ground in front of Eikyuu, and what appeared was no monstrosity. Instead it was a female form whose entire body was suffused by light, bathing the field in a comforting warmth. "Witness the birth of Goddess of Creation(0/0)."

The goddess lifted up her head and began to sing. It was a soothing song, but laced with enormous power. All of them felt themselves being drawn in by that power. "Once per turn, by forfeiting my battle phase, I may have Goddess of Creation sing her celestial song. This lets me special summon one divine type monster from my deck to the field."

Dark energy began to seep out of that hole in the ground as a new shape emerged. Suddenly fire exploded up from the hole, making a massive pillar of flame. When the flame dissipated a huge beast the size of Ra hovered over the hole. "Witness the birth of God of Death(0/0)."

Dalin was the only one amongst them who was able to look in to the face of this new creature and not shake in fear. Even Misuno, a man who claimed to wield the strength of the shadows themselves, was afraid. "It is...an impossibility...nothing could be like that!"

God of Death seemed to have no distinctive form, but for each duelist it appeared as something different. It became exactly what they imagined as the worst way for them to die, the thing that could bring that about. "This monster is death incarnate. Activate special ability, Death Ending Slash!"

The Creator screamed in agony and was blown apart. But its energy didn't go to waste, as it was pulled into God of Death's form. "God of Death may once per turn destroy a non-divine monster and add that creature's attack and defense to its own. So God of Death gains twenty-three hundred attack and three thousand defense."

Hikari grimaced, since her Creator was gone for good now. Although it was a powerful and useful creature, it couldn't be special summoned from the cemetery. "Thanks for helping me Creator, I'll make sure your death isn't useless."

"All is useless. Activate magic card, Birth of a God. This allows me to special summon one divine type monster from my hand to the field." He threw the card out, and energy sprang forth from the hole that the other gods had emerged from. Another female form emerged, only this one was surrounded by a glowing energy bubble, making the actual appearance indistinct.

"Goddess of Immortality(0/0) emerges in defense mode. This monster and God of Death shall be the instruments of your utter annihilation. Now I set two cards face down. End Turn." Another pair of cards appeared on his field, one to each side of Wrath of the Almighty.

Dalin snapped another card off his deck, his eyes glaring daggers at Eikyuu. "Prepare for true power Eikyuu! My gods against yours! First, I activate the field magic card Temple to the Gods!"

The ground shook as an enormous building formed behind Dalin, rising thousands of feet into the air with fantastic spires and statues all over it. They could distinctly see statues of Obelisk, Osiris, and Ra. "Using the effect of this card I will sacrifice three cards from my hand in order to special summon a divine monster from my hand to the field!"

He shoved three cards from his hand into his cemetery slot, and then took the remaining card from his hand and threw it onto his duel disk. "Meet my newest mighty god! Heavenly Falcon of Isis(3000/3000) is summoned to the field!"

A brilliant silver falcon the size of an airplane swooped down from the top of the massive temple, and with a single flap of its wings it landed in a perch next to Ra. The others duelists besides Eikyuu stared at in it awe. "Another Egyptian god card..."

"Two of the cards I discarded were Repayment of Losses, so I draw twice." He snapped another pair of cards off his deck and held them up so he could see them. Then he pointed at the massive form of Isis.

"Isis' first special ability is that of a wife, and much the same as her piecing together the deceased Osiris. When tribute summoned even through the effect of Temple to the Gods, she allows me to special summon Saint Dragon Osiris(2000/2000) from my deck to the field!" A card shot out of his deck, and he slammed it onto his duel disk next to the other two gods.

From high above the familiar red serpent form of Saint Dragon Osiris began to descend, its twin mouths roaring at the other gods on Eikyuu's field as it came. "Saint Dragon Osiris is on the field, allowing me to use the power of my set card. Go, Icon of Osiris!"

Once again he drew twice, this time giving him four cards in his hand total. Saint Dragon Osiris roared, its power rising accordingly. "Eikyuu, I will not allow Goddess of Creation to continue to fill your field with divine creatures. Ra will eliminate your puny god with his effect. Go, Dance of the Phoenix!" (DLP: 1800)

Ra shrieked its rage as it converted itself into phoenix form, flames bursting at all edges. It swooped down towards Goddess of Creation, but instantly Goddess of Immortality expanded her barrier, and Ra's phoenix form bounced off. "What is this?"

Eikyuu motioned to one of his two cards, which was now face up. "My continuous trap card, Barrier of the Immortal One. This card will make Goddess of Immortality the target of all attacks and effects that I choose, and Goddess of Immortality cannot be destroyed under any circumstances."

"Also, Barrier of the Immortal One allows me to inflict one thousand life points of damage to the opposing player during the end phase of their turn in which Goddess of Immortality is still in play and an attempt was made to destroy one of my monsters." At that moment the group began to see what was happening.

If they attacked they would just fail by having their attack absorbed by Goddess of Immortality. Then they would take one thousand damage. He had effectively sealed off their attacks. Dalin closed his eyes for a moment, frowning as he did so. "You are very powerful Eikyuu, but I have seen what needs to happen. I understand precisely, just as shown to me by the events of the past."

Dalin slid a card onto his duel disk, and Osiris was weakened because of that. "End turn Eikyuu. I know what comes, and I am prepared for that. I understand perfectly, and I am willing to do what is needed."

Kirani slid a card off her duel disk, but was interrupted by Eikyuu activating his remaining face down card. "I activate the continuous trap, Temptation of the Goddess. This allows me to force one opposing monster to attack one target on my field each turn. Gilford the Swift attacks God of Death."

She clutched her chest in pain as Gilford the Swift was ripped apart by God of Death, and had its power absorbed by the god. "God of Death(3700/3500) thanks Gilford the Swift for its sacrifice and for its power." (KLP: 3500)

"I...end my turn." She grimaced again as energy shimmered around her, draining her of even more life points since she had failed to kill Goddess of Immortality that turn and had attempted to destroy a monster. (KLP: 2500)

Misuno frowned, staring at the cards on the opponent's field and then at the one card on his own field. He sighed and drew, knowing exactly what was about to happen. "Temptation of the Goddess forces your set monster to attack God of Death."

"So this is how it ends then? Well so be it. Des Lacooda(500/600), reveal yourself and attack God of Death." The zombie camel made a braying noise, and then charged forwards, only to be slashed in half by Eikyuu's mighty divine monster. Misuno fell to one knee as pain lanced through his body. (MLP: 200)

"The rest of you...defeat Eikyuu. No matter what else happens, swear you will." Takuya walked up to him and extended his hand, which Misuno gladly took. Kirani and Hikari both gave him a brief hug, despite not knowing him very well. They knew what was going to happen.

Misuno turned to Dalin, and the two exchanged silent looks. Finally Dalin spoke. "What happens must happen. Go in peace."

Misuno nodded and turned back to Eikyuu, and then smirked. "I take great satisfaction in the fact that you're going to get your ass handed to you eventually. End!" His lungs heated up, seeming to be filled with liquid fire and then everything went black. (MLP: 0)

Takuya returned to his postion, and then drew. He grimaced when Eikyuu's trap started glowing. "I can see that your trap is limited in that we can choose which monster attacks. So I'll choose Ace's Knight to attack God of Death according to the effect of your trap card!"

He gritted his teeth as God of Death vaporized one of his strongest monsters, taking a big chunk out of his life points with it. "You may have brought down Ace's Knight and boosted God of Death's(6600/5600) strength, but I'm still alive." (TLP: 1850)

Taking a deep breath, he slid another card onto his duel disk. "I play Monster Reborn to revive Ace's Knight. Then I end my turn." Just like the others he felt the spike of pain travel through his body as the damage was dealt by Eikyuu's trap. (TLP: 850)

Hikari instantly threw her hand out after drawing and intoned her move. "Under the effect of your trap, The Legendary Kraken attacks God of Death! However, I activate my set Waboku!" The squid was forced backwards by God of Death's attack, but thanks to her trap card it remained intact.

"I know exactly how to eliminate your combo, and I intend to do so. I play Monster Reborn on Creator Incarnate(1600/1600)! Then I sacrifice it and Kraken for Sacred Phoenix of Nephyths(2400/2000)!" Both monsters burst into flames and were replaced by a frightening looking bird with flaming wings.

"Now I set one card face down and end my turn!" The trap card of Eikyuu's fired a beam of energy at her, slamming into her chest and blasting her backwards. She whimpered at the feeling of pain, but managed to get back to her feet. (HLP: 1100)

The very moment that a new card appeared in Eikyuu's hand, a cold chin burned through Takuya's body. It was a feeling of foreboding stronger than anything he had ever felt before. _'What could possibly make me feel this way?'_

Eikyuu's continuous magic card started glowing, and a familiar form burst out of the ground. It was the massive spiked behemoth known as God of Might(?). "At a cost of one thousand life points Wrath of the Almighty allows me to special summon this monster." (ELP: 9500)

He fanned out his four cards, and then his eyes touched Dalin's. "I activate Evolution of God. This magic card will permanently boost God of Death's attack and defense power by one thousand as well as boost its abilities. It may now destroy divine type monsters."

Dalin stood ready, understanding what Eikyuu was about to do. "God of Death(7600/6600) annihilates The Winged Divine Dragon of Ra."

Ra's body was consumed by black flames, and burst apart. Dalin was sent flying backwards, his body burned by the explosion. He pushed himself back into a standing position, and continued to watch Eikyuu with a confident expression. "All of you will die. Activate Wingbeat of God!"

Energy swept across the field, blowing away every single card in play besides Eikyuu's divine monsters, Dalin's divine monsters, along with Icon of Osiris and Wrath of the Almighty. "There is no stopping my assault now."

"That's not entirely accurate. My set card was chained during the devastation. It was a trap known as Wound Back Time. During the end phase the field will be set to exactly how it was before my trap's activation." The group sighed in relief, knowing that the only had to hope for protection during this turn, and then they'd get back their cards. Then again, so would Eikyuu.

Eikyuu's eyes flashed with black energy, and then returned to their prismatic state. "You will be crushed. You are the most impudent of this entire lot, yet you would be the one to serve Order the best. For your actions, for your unspoken betrayal...I will obliterate your very existence."

Dalin didn't even bother to reply. He just continued to stare at Eikyuu. The god tilted his head to the side, and then held out two more cards from his hand. "I activate Death Knell of a God by discarding one card from my hand. This instantly obliterates one divine type monster on the field. Osiris is my target."

A bell tolled somewhere far away, and then Osiris shrieked as its body began to fade away. The vanishing started from the tail and traveled upwards, until nothing was left of the once mighty god. "Saint Dragon Osiris is gone, but I am still here. So far your words are just words, and they can do nothing against the power of a god. Heavenly Falcon of Isis prevents you from attacking with more than one monster while Osiris is in the grave."

Silence reigned for several moments, and then Eikyuu lifted one arm and pointed at Dalin. "God of Death(16800/16100), that is your target. Eliminate him utterly!"

The god that was death incarnate swooped down towards Heavenly Falcon of Isis, and each of them waited with baited breath. They knew that it wasn't over, because Dalin was always prepared. He always had the card he needed, even if it was in the cemetery. _'Dalin can't be beaten, he's invincible.'_

There was a terrible noise that was then followed by a terrible silence. Then, for the first time since Eikyuu had been released, Dalin smiled.

DLP: 0

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: The unthinkable has just happened. The mighty Dalin Imaki Sumatin, the world's best hope at defeating Eikyuu, has lost. With Dalin gone, what hope do the others have of facing the mighty God of Order and actually winning? Guess you'll just have to wait and find out.

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Doomed sounds about right.

The White Mage: It has a point. Everything I do has a point to it.

WolfGeneral: As you can see, not Osiris and not so well.

Time Mage: There's a distinct difference(in my mind at least) as to what the Essences are and what the Gods are. The Dark Spirit first came into existence around the time that the people who worshiped Eikyuu were at war, plus Eikyuu never had major influence outside of that area until he was manifested physically on Earth. Looks like you guessed wrong.

VoidTemplar: That's Eikyuu's power, and not Osiris.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Dalin: God's Breath Cannon, Dance of the Phoenix, Wingbeat of God, Temple to the Gods, Heavenly Falcon of Isis, Icon of Osiris

Kirani: Gilford the Swift

Takuya: Poker Grave Fusion, Knight of Ten, Ace's Knight, B.S.

Hikari: The Legendary Kraken

Eikyuu: Wrath of the Almighty, Holy Awe, Body of the Sanctioned, Goddess of Creation, God of Death, Birth of a God, Goddess of Immortality, Barrier of the Immortal One, Temptation of the Goddess, God of Might, Wingbeat of God, Deathknell of a God, God's Wrath

_Anime/Manga Cards_

Dalin: Winged Divine Dragon of Ra, Saint Dragon Osiris

Takuya: Arcana Knight Joker

Eikyuu: Evolution of God


	45. The Resounding Horn of God

Author's Notes: Dalin has fallen, and now without their strongest warrior the final three, the last chances of mankind against Eikyuu...will have to face their greatest challenge yet. The questions remains: can Eikyuu be stopped?

_**Chapter Forty-Four: The Resounding Horn of God**_

_A bell tolled somewhere far away, and then Osiris shrieked as its body began to fade away. The vanishing started from the tail and traveled upwards, until nothing was left of the once mighty god. "Saint Dragon Osiris is gone, but I am still here. So far your words are just words, and they can do nothing against the power of a god. Heavenly Falcon of Isis prevents you from attacking with more than one monster while Osiris is in the grave."_

_Silence reigned for several moments, and then Eikyuu lifted one arm and pointed at Dalin. "God of Death(16800/16100), that is your target. Eliminate him utterly!" _

_The god that was death incarnate swooped down towards Heavenly Falcon of Isis, and each of them waited with baited breath. They knew that it wasn't over, because Dalin was always prepared. He always had the card he needed, even if it was in the cemetery. 'Dalin can't be beaten, he's invincible.'_

_There was a terrible noise that was then followed by a terrible silence. Then, for the first time since Eikyuu had been released, Dalin smiled. _

_DLP: 0_

Dalin's body crumpled lifeless to the ground. Not a word was said. The chill that had been running up Takuya's spine was now gone, indicating that the terrible event he had felt coming had passed. Dalin Imaki Sumatin, their last, best chance to defeat Eikyuu...was gone. "It's impossible..."

Eikyuu lowered the arm that had been pointing at Dalin, letting it drop to his side. "Nothing is impossible. This is the natural order of things, and this one was able to understand that. He knew that he would fall, he knew that all of you would fall. So let the end begin."

The god's head snapped around as red energy began to blossom around Kirani's body. She turned her gaze upon Eikyuu, and snapped a card off her deck. "This isn't the end, because Dalin knew more than that! And now that he's gone I understand exactly what I have to do!"

She glanced at the new card, and then took two different cards from her hand and slid them onto her duel disk. "I set two cards face down. Then I activate Emergency Provisions, sacrificing my four set cards to gain one thousand life points for each!" (KLP: 6500)

Kirani immediately flipped another card around from her hand, and the sky above boiled with clouds. "Go, Enter the Storm! By paying one thousand life points I can summon Gilford the Lightning to the field!"

Two lightning bolts shrieked down from above, one crashing down on Kirani's side of the field, and the other splattering uselessly against the gods on Eikyuu's field. Then the light faded, and Gilford the Lightning(2800/1400) appeared in all his glory. "During this turn Gilford the Lightning cannot attack." (KLP: 5500)

Eikyuu frowned, realizing that the effect of her magic card would prevent his trap from forcing Kirani's monster to attack. "Nevertheless, your monster's effect is considered an attempt to destroy my monsters. Barrier of the Immortal One will deal one thousand damage to you during the end phase."

Her blue eyes narrowed and a very Drake-like smirk appeared on her face. "Only if it's in play during the end phase, and I have no intention of letting that happen. So it's time to unleash the biggest gun I've got in my entire deck. Go, Roar of Thunder!"

Lightning began to stream out of the very skin of Gilford, and his body was consumed by blue lightning bolts. "In order to activate this magic card I must sacrifice one Gilford the Lightning on the field. I've done so, which means you'll meet the god of my deck!"

A card shot out of her deck and she caught it, then slammed it down onto her duel disk. "This monster may not be able to defeat yours in combat, but he can certainly deal with the trouble of your magic and trap cards. Meet Gilford, Deity of Lightning and Thunder(3600/2400)!"

Now standing in place of Gilford the Lightning was a warrior that stood roughly twelve feet in height, and whose entire body crackled with lightning. He wore golden armor that was identical to the armor that his previous self wore and had a sword sheathed on his back. "Much like his counterpart, this mighty creature has an ability that activates upon his summoning. So Gilford, draw your blade!"

The powerful deity unsheathed his sword, and instead of a regular blade it held one that looked to be forged of pure lightning. "Go, Shattering Strike!"

Gilford swung his sword and arcs of lightning shot out of it, piercing into Eikyuu's three face up cards. Wrath of the Almighty generated a barrier that fended off the lightning strike, but the other two cards shattered into nothing. "When summoned I can have this Gilford destroy all monsters on your field and in your hand, or all magic and trap cards on your field and in your hand. I chose magic and traps."

Despite their sudden success in eliminating Eikyuu's killer combo, none of them looked happy. The knowledge that their best chance at winning was gone still weighed heavily on their hearts. Kirani continued to smirk, and cast a brief glance up at the sky. _'Drake, I hope you're watching, because you made what I'll do next possible. Thank you.'_

"Alright Eikyuu, I've got just one more move to make before my turn is done. That would be this last card in my hand being placed face down on the field!" She slid the card onto her duel disk, and then she folded her arms across her chest. Her smirk settled into a grim smile, the smile of one who knew something bad was going to happen but accepted it.

Takuya took a deep breath, and then glanced over at Kirani. She offered him a brief nod of the head, and he began to understand what she was doing. _'So that's what my part is then? So be it. I'll give this everything I've got!'_

He pulled up his next card and held it up in front of his face. He lowered it to just below his eyes, and he smiled. "Eikyuu, you've shown us the power of your gods. Dalin responded by showing us that the only way to fight back was with gods of our own. Kirani has unleashed hers...and now it's my turn!"

Kirani and Hikari shot him surprised looks, and Takuya got the impression that Eikyuu was surprised as well. "The Trials were important factors in our lives, they were used to grant us the power to fight back against you and be immune to your manipulative powers. But that's not all that happened."

A look of dawning comprehension appeared on Kirani's face, and she smirked. It was she who continued where Takuya had left off. "Roar of Thunder and Gilford, Deity of Lightning and Thunder both appeared in my deck after the Trials. He's a divine type, so he was created to combat you. I assume that each of us got something like that."

Takuya smirked and raised the drawn card over his head, and it began to shine. "She's right about that, this card became mine after the Trials. Now to summon it I can only sacrifice monsters with 'knight' in their title, so I sacrifice all five of my monsters to summon the god of my deck and soul!"

He plucked the five monsters off his duel pod and then slid them into the cemetery, finally he threw his card down onto the disk. "Come forth, Knight of God(5000/5000)!" A towering knight in golden armor descended from the sky, holding a blade forged from the sun itself.

"Knight of God is unique amongst most other divine monsters in that it can be summoned without a tribute yet is a level ten anyways. For each monster with 'knight' in its title that I sacrifice Knight of God gains one thousand attack and defense points. Since I sacrifice five he has a total of five thousand points in each stat." Knight of God snapped the blade around, and saluted Takuya with it.

"Of course Knight of God still isn't enough to defeat God of Death, but he doesn't need to be. Reveal trap card, Death by Poker! This continuous trap makes it so that whenever one of my monsters combats one of yours, you lose two hundred life points!" One of his two set cards flipped up, revealing itself.

Eikyuu didn't even seem bothered. "An attack upon any of my monsters would be fruitless. Goddess of Immortality cannot be destroyed, God of Might is always too powerful, and Goddess of Creation cannot be attacked as long as I have another divine type in play. You are powerless."

"Powerless? I doubt it. Knight of God attack Goddess of Immortality!" The knight swung his fiery sword and a stream of divine flame slammed into the goddess' barrier and dissipated. The knight seemed to frown and then lifted its blade above its head. (ELP: 9300)

"Knight of God, special ability number two activates! As long as you have a monster in play Knight of God can keep attacking. Since I can't kill Goddess of Immortality I can attack an infinite number of times, and that means your life points are gone!" Knight of God swung his sword again, and another stream of divine flame crashed into the barrier. (ELP: 9100)

Knight of God raised its blade to attack again, and Eikyuu held up a card. Light blaze out of the card and Knight of God stumbled backwards and dropped into a crouch. "By removing Holy Awe from my cemetery I can switch one opposing monster into defense mode. Your plan has failed."

Takuya grimaced and felt his hands shake. He understood what was coming, understood that his best chance to eliminate Eikyuu once and for all was gone. He should have known that if Dalin couldn't do it, then neither could he. _'Dalin...your sacrifice won't be in vain. I'll figure out what you intended, just like Kirani has! Then I'll know the way to defeat Eikyuu, I'll know his weakness!'_

"I set one card face down and conclude my turn. Hikari, it's back to you." He smiled at the older girl, hoping that his false confidence would instill some confidence in her. But from what he could see, it wasn't helping very much.

Hikari's hand shook as she drew, but the sight of the card she had drawn helped her gain a bit of her courage back. Now wasn't the time to be cowering behind negative thoughts. "My own god is here! I have to sacrifice a high level monster with 'mythical', 'legendary', or 'sacred' in it's name to summon it, which I have. So Nephtys fades away to give birth to Legendary Hero Hercules(3200/2800)!"

The phoenix was instantly replaced by a tall and handsome human who was incredibly muscular, and wore older Greek styled clothing. "Hercules has three special abilities, and the first is that he can attack the opposing player directly if only to reduce the damage by half. So Hercules, attack!"

The demi-god raced right past Eikyuu's other gods and smashed his fist into the god's face. Eikyuu slid backwards by about four feet, and a tiny hairline fracture appeared in his mask as his life points took a dip. "Score one for the home team." (ELP: 7500)

Eikyuu lifted up one hand and slid it down that fracture. His eyes flared black for a moment, and then returned to normal. "That was a mistake."

Hikari shivered at the tone of his voice, but tried not to let it stop her from continuing her move. Slowly she slid a card from her hand onto her duel disk. "One card face down. I'm done."

The God of Order allowed another card to appear in his hand, and then he snapped his fingers. Knight of God grasped at his throat and then shattered into a million pieces. "Knight of God's power is appreciated. Now, God of Death(24800/24100) is strong enough to eliminate any foe."

Kirani snapped her fingers, and motioned to Eikyuu. "If it's so strong, why don't you come and try it out on me? I don't get the feeling that your monster is as tough as you say it is."

Eikyuu tilted his head to the side and then they heard an odd noise from him. It took them a second to realize that he was chuckling. "How very intriguing. You want me to attack you, but only because you don't wish for me to attack either of these others. But which one is it?"

The female duelist tensed up as Eikyuu began to look back and forth between Takuya and Hikari. "You're wrong! I'm the one you want Eikyuu, the other two, they aren't the challenge! I'm the only duelist besides Dalin in this group capable of harming you!"

Eikyuu chuckled again, and then raised his arm. "You are lying. As a matter of fact, the one to have just hurt me...that will be my target. God of Death, eliminate that fool." His finger was pointing directly at Hikari.

Hikari jerked back in surprise, and shot a look down at her face down card. Her hand fumbled towards her duel disk, fear making it harder to take action. She had to defend herself, or it was the end for her. _'This can't be happening!'_

Kirani's body blazed with the same crimson energy from before as she extended her hand out over her field. Her face down card flipped up, and that same red energy expanded around the field. A red symbol in Kanji appeared on her forehead, depicting the word 'Love'. "Go set card, Heart of Love!"

Eikyuu's gaze was immediately drawn to her as her Heart card activated its power. Now his focus was completely on her. "Good to see I've got your attention. Now, I sacrifice my monster in order to remove your battle phase for the next three turns!"

Gilford, Deity of Lightning and Thunder closed his eyes and was instantly consumed by the power of her Heart card. A red glow settled over Eikyuu's field, preventing him from attacking at all. "You also have made a foolish mistake in using your Heart of Man."

"Really? You think so? Well I don't! Special ability number two activate! The sacrificed monster's attack points are now added to each of our life points except for yours!" Three red beams of light shot out of her card and slammed down on each of them in turn. Kirani felt relief flow through her as her life points shot up. (KLP: 9100)

Takuya sighed as his life points were restored. He knew it was only a temporary form of relief, but every little bit would could. _'Let's just hope we can keep our life points long enough to figure out how to beat Eikyuu.'_ (TLP: 4450)

Hikari placed a hand against her stomach, feeling the bruises there fading as Kirani's special card worked its magic and restored her with further life energy and further life points. _'Thank you Kirani, I desperately needed that. And thank you for saving me.'_ (HLP: 4700)

The prismatic eyes of the God of Order once again turned black, but now they were focused specifically on Kirani. "You are an insolent fool, a gnat who must be swatted. Your interference will be removed, and the power of your Heart of Man will bother me no longer. Activate magic card!"

He held out one of the two cards in his hand, and the other one vanished as he did so. "By discarding one card from my hand I can use the power of Damnation of the Unfaithful. This magic card will inflict half the attack points of one divine monster in play as damage to the opponent. I choose God of Death, and I choose you Kirani Kajika. Die!"

A huge pillar of dark energy shot out of the magic card, and Kirani braced herself. She flashed a smile to the other two duelists, and then she was swept off her feet. The dark energy carried her into the air, and then arched down and slammed her against the ground. When it dissipated she was lying limp and lifeless. (KLP: 0)

Since Eikyuu had no more cards in his hand, Takuya knew that it was his turn. _'Kirani sacrificed herself to save Hikari...but the question is why? Is it because she's Drake's sister, or did she just not expect Eikyuu to have a card like Damnation of the Unfaithful? Damn it...I still don't understand!'_

He picked up another card, and a red energy glow surrounded him. The explanation came moments later, planted into his mind as if by instinct. "Since Heart of Love is in the cemetery, during each standby phase it will increase my life points and Hikari's by one thousand!" (TLP: 5450)

Hikari gasped in amazement as more life energy flooded into her, further reinforcing her with life points. "Wow...that feels wonderful!" (HLP: 5700)

"There's little else I can do right now, so I set one monster face down and end my turn." His new monster that was set on the field was no replacement for Knight of God, but it was the best he could do with what he had.

Hikari drew, and once again the two of them were flooded with life points and life energy. _'Kirani's Heart card is still protecting us, but even in the turns that we'll have before Eikyuu can attack again won't be enough to give us the needed life points to survive his assaults, not with God of Death at that level of power.'_ (TLP: 6450, HLP: 6700)

"You may not have a battle phase, but I do have one! Hercules, activate your special ability and attack Eikyuu directly!" The mighty half-god charged straight at Eikyuu and delivered a powerful uppercut right to god's chin. Eikyuu was once again staggered by the blow, and a hairline fracture appeared at the bottom of his mask. (ELP: 5900)

"You test my patience girl. When I once more have a battle phase, you will fall to my power." She shivered in fear, understanding that what Eikyuu had said was true. The worst part was, she probably wouldn't get another chance to attack with Legendary Hero Hercules.

Eikyuu's eyes were black flames as he gestured to Hercules. "That monster has done enough damage. God of Death will crush it. Death Ending Slash!"

Hercules was blown apart by God of Death, and it's energy surged into the mighty and so far unbeatable God of Death. "God of Death(28000/26900) cannot attack yet, so my turn is ended."

Takuya drew, and as the energy of the Heart of Love was infused into him, he felt something different. Something strange. _'That warmth...it's like it's trying to reassure me of something. And...I think I know what that is.'_ (TLP: 7450, HLP: 7700)

"Hikari, I want you to know my honest opinion about this duel. I don't think that we can win against Eikyuu." Hikari dropped her head, having felt the same thing deep in her heart. But she was surprised when Takuya placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not done. I don't think we can win the duel itself, but I feel that somehow, in the end...the answer will reveal itself. Dalin knew, he knew exactly what had to happen for Eikyuu to fall, and Kirani figured it out as well. We'll figure it out, I know we will. But until that moment, despite how hopeless it seems, I intend to keep fighting!" He clenched his right hand into a fist, and his eyes seemed to burn with his desire to fight.

Hikari felt herself caught up in that gaze, and she barely realized she had nodded until seconds after it was done. "Yes...yes I'll fight with you! To the end of it all, I swear to you that I'll keep fighting with whatever strength I have in my body!"

Takuya turned back to Eikyuu and shoved a card into his duel pod. "You hear that Eikyuu? We're not going to bow down and let you walk all over us! If you want mankind's free will gone then you're going to have to fight for it every inch of the way!"

Hikari responded by drawing her own card, and then instantly sliding it into position. "You won't gain anything from us without a big fight. And we'll be preparing for your assault that will come in just a few turns. So get ready, because we're going to bring you down!" (TLP: 8450, HLP: 8700)

A new card materialized in Eikyuu's hand, and the god chuckled for the third time in the duel. "What a childish and naive sentiment. Fighting will accomplish nothing. It is your purpose to lose, just as it is my purpose to win. We cannot fight our purpose, we are purpose embodied. Without purpose, we are nothing."

The god motioned to his continuous magic card, which started glowing. "I forfeit one thousand life points to special summon Deity of Empowerment(1000/1000) from my deck to the field in defense mode. I'm certain you remember this monster." (ELP: 4900)

The energy being appeared in front of him, completing his load out of divine creatures. It was frightening just to think about the fact that he had five deadly divine monsters in play at that very moment. "Now I activate this familiar continuous magic card. Prayer Blessings."

Hikari and Takuya gritted their teeth, realizing that their efforts at reducing Eikyuu's life points were once again going to be undone in a mere second. "Before activating these two card's effects, I use God of Death to destroy Shinomori's set monster."

Takuya frowned and picked his monster up off his duel pod and then slid it into the cemetery. "Knight to the Third Power(1700/1200) is destroyed. So go ahead and gain its power."

"And so I shall. Now with God of Death(29700/28100) at a more suitable level of power, I initiate the effects of Deity of Empowerment and Prayer Blessings." Blue light flowed from the two cards and into Eikyuu, reinforcing his life points in a way that no other cards in the entire game of Duel Monsters possibly could. (ELP: 22750)

The moment that Takuya drew, both he and Hikari gained an additional boost in life points. He glanced at his new card, and he began to smile. Then he threw back his head and laughed. "So this is how it's going to be? Then I'll just go with the flow." (TLP: 9450, HLP: 9700)

Hikari looked at him strangely, but he just flashed her a smile. "It's okay Hikari, I think I finally understand. Not just about Eikyuu's weakness, but about myself. You see, I'm just a regular guy, no matter what else is granted to me I'm nobody special."

She frowned, not quite understanding where he was going with this. Eikyuu merely waited patiently for him to continue his move. "I don't understand...what do you mean?"

"Hikari, it's special people who change the world. I've known since the moment I saw you that you were special, even D'harim couldn't deny that. Even when I was beneath all that hatred that was D'harim I was still drawn to you, because I somehow knew you were special." Hikari felt her face flush bright red at his words, still not knowing how to take them.

"In moments we'll know the answer to that question, I can guarantee it. And I know that you'll be the one to make sure that the answer is the right one." Hikari stared at him in shock, speechless at first.

"But...how can you know that? How can you possibly know?" Takuya smiled and took her hand in his, and then squeezed it lightly.

"Because I have faith in you, that's why. Now, let's get this duel back underway so we can stop Eikyuu, right?" He released her hand and then turned back to Eikyuu. He fanned out the three cards in his hand, and then immediately took action with them.

"Eikyuu! Let's get this show on the road shall we? You have just one more turn where you can't attack, and then we'll know how to beat you. Till then, I set two cards face down and play a monster in defense mode. End turn!" Now he had one defensive monster, and five magic or trap cards to be used.

Hikari drew, but despite the warmth granted to her by Kirani's Heart of Love she still couldn't see the answer that Takuya was talking about. Nor could she see how he could know. _'He has faith in me...he thinks I'm special. But...am I really?'_ (TLP: 10450, HLP: 10700)

"I...I end my turn." She had no monster to summon, and she already had five cards face down. She just had to hope that her boosted life points and her five set cards would be able to defend her against Eikyuu's power when the time came.

Eikyuu seemed to sneer at them as he gained a new card to use. "This is the last turn that you are both safe. Now, God of Death annihilates Takuya's set monster." The monster was instantly blown apart.

"Nine Card Don(1300/0) was the sacrifice, fodder to your god. Take its power if you want, it's not like it will make a difference in the end. The answer is coming." Eikyuu tilted his head slightly to the side, but he still didn't seem bothered by Takuya's confidence.

"You are equally as confident and foolish as your previous companions. Yet despite their confidence, despite their utter certainty that they could not fail, they have all fallen. The two spirits, Kirani, and your mightiest warrior Dalin. And every other member of your foolhardy group has fallen in the past to myself or to my worshipers. In the end, you have nothing." Hikari felt herself shrink under Eikyuu's words, but Takuya stood proud and strong.

"Deity of Empowerment and Prayer Blessings activate their special effects, vastly increasing my life points." Further energy surged into his body, placing him high above them in terms of life points. (ELP: 41250)

"Now I activate Divine Power. This magic card allows me to activate the effect of one divine monster on my field an extra time during this turn. So I activate the effect of Deity of Empowerment again." More life point flooded into him, raising his life points up to a ludicrous amount. (ELP: 57250)

"My turn ends now, therefor ending the effect of Heart of Love that stops me from having a battle phase. Your chances to prepare yourself are nearly ended. On my next turn, you will fall." He folded his arms over his chest, shifting his gaze between the two of them.

Takuya snapped a card off his deck, and life points flooded into him and Hikari. He flashed her a smile, and then nodded for her to take her turn. _'We're down to the wire. But I know that in the end she'll understand. All I have to do is...'_ (TLP: 11450, HLP: 11700)

Hikari grimaced despite the further life points that they received. She had every card at her disposal that she was going to have, but she knew that they wouldn't help. All he had to do was draw another card like the one that had finished Kirani, or Wingbeat of God. _'There's no way we can beat him, he's just too strong!'_ (TLP: 12450, HLP: 12700)

She let her head drop, avoiding Takuya's gaze. "My turn is over. It's your move Eikyuu."

Eikyuu unfolded his arms and pointed to Deity of Empowerment. "My monster activates its special ability, enforcing my life points with an additional eighteen thousand five hundred life points." (ELP: 75750)

The god turned his gaze on Hikari and held up another card from his hand. "You are the one that Kajika wished to protect, so I will eliminate you for that and for the damage your creature caused my face. Activate magic card!"

Blue bonds of light settled over Hikari's five face down cards, and she gasped in shock. "The magic card Divine Right is similar to the trap version, only it is less powerful. The targeted player cannot activate magic or trap cards during this turn. This is the end for you."

God of Death readied itself, turning to face her directly. She blanched at being faced with the god that was death incarnate, knowing that she had no way to defend herself. "God of Death(31000/28100) will attack you directly. Death Ending Slash!"

"Hold it Eikyuu! I won't let that happen, because she's special and she's going to be the one to make sure the answer is true! Go face down card, Emergency Provisions!" His quick-play magic card flipped up and his four other face down cards began to shudder.

Hikari and Eikyuu both glanced at him, uncertain exactly what he was intending. "I'm using this card to gain four thousand life points, but one of the cards I'm sending to the grave I'm also going to activate. It's called Tilt, and it lets me use an effect of one card in the cemetery!" (TLP: 16450)

The four cards shattered, and his life points shot up. Then a red glow emerged around him, as Heart of Love revealed itself. "Heart of Love is what I've brought back, and it's telling me exactly what to do. In this situation...it knows the power it can use. Go, Love's Last Gift!"

The red glow that surrounded him shot directly at Hikari and slammed into her, filling her with an amazing warmth. She felt her body surging with energy as it pumped power into her body, power and life energy. "Love's Last Gift requires me to sacrifice all of my life points, but then those life points are added to Hikari's life points which are immediately doubled!" (HLP: 58300)

Hikari whipped around to face Takuya, and the other duelist offered her one final smile. "I know it's you. Because you're special." (TLP: 0)

With that said, he collapsed. Hikari tried to call out to him, but dark energy struck her body and hurled her backwards. She hit the snow and slid backwards, the ice cutting up her back. She cried out in pain, and was certain she heard something crack. The only reason she wasn't killed was because of the power she had been granted. (HLP: 27300)

"This is simple foolishness. I have Deity of Empowerment attack you directly for additional damage." The being of energy fired an energy ball at her, just as she was standing up. The attack hit her in the shoulder and knocked her down onto her back once again. (HLP: 26300)

She shuddered, and with the warmth of love flowing through her veins was able to struggle back up to her feet. Eikyuu's eyes flashed black and he snapped his fingers. In an instant three of his monsters vanished. "I sacrifice Goddess of Creation, Deity of Empowerment, and Goddess of Immortality to summon the supreme god."

The three named monsters vanished in a flash, and what replaced them shocked her utterly. It was about nine feet tall, wore scarlet robes, and had a mask for a face. It was utterly identical to Eikyuu. "This is Supreme God of Order(?). This is my avatar, the creature that will destroy you utterly."

"It...it's you?" Eikyuu nodded, and then pointed at her. His other self nodded in return and raised one hand. A beam of blue light shot out of his palm and slammed into her chest, but unlike the others it didn't seem to cause any physical or life point damage.

"Supreme God of Order can attack regardless of the circumstances, even though it is my Main Phase 2. All rules are bent to his will, and his order replaces all others when he completes a direct attack. After doing so all cards on the opponent's field, in their hand, and in their cemetery are removed from the game." Hikari stared in shock as the cards she had left vanished in a flash, leaving her utterly defenseless.

"There is nothing left for you to do. End turn." He stood waiting for her to make her move, and she simply sat there.

'_He said I was special, but what I can do that can defeat a god? Why am I the one who's supposed to find the answer to stopping him? Why is it my purpose to stop him? Just because some guy I've known for about a day says he has faith in me?'_ A tear slid down her cheek as she struggled to find the answer.

Her eyes snapped open, and she blinked several times. _'Purpose? Faith? That's it! That's the answer, that's the true answer! That's Eikyuu's weakness! I understand!'_

With renewed vigor she rose to her feet and placed two fingers on the top of her deck. "Eikyuu! I have the answer now, the answer to defeating you! You gave it to me, so I thank you for that! Prepare to find out what mankind's free will is truly capable of!"

She snatched up the card and instantly her body was bathed in golden light. She breathed deep and threw the card down onto her disk. "I activate Heart of Faith!"

A golden symbol of faith appeared on her forehead, and her glow pushed back the darkness of God of Death. Eikyuu tilted his head to the side, not having expected the appearance of another Heart of Man. "Perhaps I should have anticipated this. Daisuke Ihachi had such power, so his sister would as well."

"You misunderstand it all Eikyuu, this isn't my power, it's the power of all of mankind! Mankind's faith is what gave birth to you, and it's what's going to end you! Activate special ability, Resounding Horn of God!" A single beautiful note filled the air, and Eikyuu's gods shuddered and disappeared.

If Eikyuu had normal eyes, they would have widened at what he suddenly saw. One by one his fallen opponents rose to their feet, and everything was changing. "Resounding Horn of God revives each of your opponents and resets their life at normal levels, and your life is reset as well." (HLP: 4000, DLP: 4000, TLP: 4000, MLP: 4000, ALP: 4000, KLP: 4000, ELP: 4000)

The five revived duelists looked over at Hikari and smiled, knowing that she had come to understand exactly what was needed. "Next every player removes their deck from play except for seven cards of their choice. From now on there is no draw phase!"

Each player selected their seven cards, and then set aside their decks. Eikyuu seemed to frown, uncertain as to what was going to happen next. "Now that everything is set in place, Resounding Horn of God instantly ends my turn. So Eikyuu, it's all you."

Eikyuu snapped his seven card hand into full size, and then he began to laugh outright. "Your power, your power is nothing. Your purpose is null and void, you are meaningless shells. It is my purpose to win, and I have everything needed to do so. Do you really think that the faith of mankind can defeat the ultimate purpose of the Supreme God of Order?"

As one the six duelists gave their answer. "Absolutely."

"So be it then, you shall all die!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: The final segment of the battle against Eikyuu commences as the faith of mankind is pitted against Eikyuu's absolute purpose. The only question left to be answered is which one is stronger.

_Next Time: The Last Will and Testament of Mankind_

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Once again I say: Doomed sounds about right.

The White Mage: Yes, he lost.

WolfGeneral: Nope. We're screwed.

VoidTemplar: Dalin was gone, and in the next chapter you'll find out exactly whether or not they can win at all.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Kirani: Enter the Storm, Roar of Thunder, Gilford: Deity of Lightning and Thunder, Heart of Love

Takuya: Knight of God, Death by Poker, Knight to the Third Power, Nine Card Don, Tilt

Hikari: Legendary Hero Hercules, Heart of Faith

Eikyuu: Damnation of the Unfaithful, Deity of Empowerment, Prayer Blessings, Divine Right, Supreme God of Order


	46. The Last Will and Testament of Mankind

Author's Notes: Here we are at the potential end to mankind's free will. The last moments of the duel against Eikyuu are about to begin!

_**Chapter Forty-Five: The Last Will and Testament of Mankind**_

_Her eyes snapped open, and she blinked several times. 'Purpose? Faith? That's it! That's the answer, that's the true answer! That's Eikyuu's weakness! I understand!'_

_With renewed vigor she rose to her feet and placed two fingers on the top of her deck. "Eikyuu! I have the answer now, the answer to defeating you! You gave it to me, so I thank you for that! Prepare to find out what mankind's free will is truly capable of!"_

_She snatched up the card and instantly her body was bathed in golden light. She breathed deep and threw the card down onto her disk. "I activate Heart of Faith!" _

_A golden symbol of faith appeared on her forehead, and her glow pushed back the darkness of God of Death. Eikyuu tilted his head to the side, not having expected the appearance of another Heart of Man. "Perhaps I should have anticipated this. Daisuke Ihachi had such power, so his sister would as well."_

"_You misunderstand it all Eikyuu, this isn't my power, it's the power of all of mankind! Mankind's faith is what gave birth to you, and it's what's going to end you! Activate special ability, Resounding Horn of God!" A single beautiful note filled the air, and Eikyuu's gods shuddered and disappeared. _

_If Eikyuu had normal eyes, they would have widened at what he suddenly saw. One by one his fallen opponents rose to their feet, and everything was changing. "Resounding Horn of God revives each of your opponents and resets their life at normal levels, and your life is reset as well." (HLP: 4000, DLP: 4000, TLP: 4000, MLP: 4000, ALP: 4000, KLP: 4000, ELP: 4000)_

_The five revived duelists looked over at Hikari and smiled, knowing that she had come to understand exactly what was needed. "Next every player removes their deck from play except for seven cards of their choice. From now on there is no draw phase!"_

_Each player selected their seven cards, and then set aside their decks. Eikyuu seemed to frown, uncertain as to what was going to happen next. "Now that everything is set in place, Resounding Horn of God instantly ends my turn. So Eikyuu, it's all you."_

_Eikyuu snapped his seven card hand into full size, and then he began to laugh outright. "Your power, your power is nothing. Your purpose is null and void, you are meaningless shells. It is my purpose to win, and I have everything needed to do so. Do you really think that the faith of mankind can defeat the ultimate purpose of the Supreme God of Order?"_

_As one the six duelists gave their answer. "Absolutely."_

"_So be it then, you shall all die!"_

Eikyuu took one card from his hand and held it out to the side, then he swept his gaze across each of the gathered duelists. "All of you, you who would claim to be those who enforce justice, who prevent death. You who claim to be pursuers of peace are mere instruments of chaos! By opposing me you oppose peace, and for that you will fall!"

Dalin smirked and folded his arms across his chest, a confident look on his face. "You fail to understand us Eikyuu. We desire peace, but not at the expense of what makes us who we are. Your method of bringing peace and order is no longer needed in this world. You are no longer needed."

Eikyuu's eyes blazed at this comment, and he held out the card. "You lie! My purpose is absolute, I am absolute! I _must_ bring order! It is my purpose, and my purpose is absolute, my purpose is the purpose of all mankind! Now with this one card I will crush you all!"

Hikari shook her head and gestured broadly to the others. "We all are in agreement. You were needed long ago by the band of poor villagers who had to find some method to bring peace to their lives and order as well when nothing else worked. But their lives were cruel and harsh, while ours have changed. The problem is, you haven't. Your methods of bringing peace and order are outdated, so your purpose is what has become null and void."

The others nodded in agreement, but Eikyuu only raged in response, his eyes now settling into a permanent black fire. "I will silence you eternally! Activate magic card, Assemblage of Fallen Gods! Activation costs half of my life points!" (ELP: 2000)

A million points of light began to fly through the air, directly towards Eikyuu. The group looked around in amazement as the number multiplied, and a seemingly infinite number of the lights floated towards Eikyuu. "Assemblage of Fallen Gods places all out of play cards into my hand. My deck is considered to be infinite, therefor I now hold an infinite number of cards."

Kirani placed her hands on her hips and smiled, not seeming to be bother by Eikyuu's rage. "It doesn't matter what you try or what you do. It won't change the fact that you've become a useless god, one who has no purpose. Mankind can achieve order using our own hearts, just like we've used our Hearts against you. As a smart man once said 'All you need is love.'"

Takuya chuckled, waving his hand of cards back and forth like a fan. "I may not be able to quote famous bands as well as Kirani, but I do know that she's right. The whole purpose of your existence was to bring peace and order to the lives of those who needed it. But we don't need you at all. So why bother?"

Misuno stepped up to the plate, smirking in a very smug fashion. "I can't say that I necessarily like these hippies here, but they do bring up a very good point. Why are you bothering? You keep saying that it's your purpose, but why is it your purpose? Who says?"

AB stepped up next to her brother and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling slightly at Eikyuu. "Nobody is saying are they? You're just taking an implied purpose from what brought you into existence right? But nobody is saying it now, it's just you and a handful of your fanatics. Have you even bothered to see what the rest of the world thinks?"

Eikyuu snarled in a very uncharacteristic way, and threw out a card. A monster emerged from the massive crack in the ground. It was a beautiful man in blue robes with a holy glow surrounding him. "Eternity Mage(1500/1100) is the instrument of your demise, just as I am the instrument of order. Your words mean nothing, for I am Eikyuu, the God of Order!"

Dalin opened his mouth, but was silenced when Eternity Mage raised his staff and fired a blast of energy directly at the angel duelist. Dalin grunted and was shoved back a few feet by the strike. "I will hear no more from you! Eternity Mage's attack deducts nearly half of your life points!" (DLP: 2500)

Eikyuu snapped up a handful of cards and they vanished one by one, becoming points of light that joined together over the tip of Eternity Mage's staff. "By discarding one card from my hand Eternity Mage is able to attack once again. To eliminate all of your life points he must attack a combined total of fifteen times. So I discard fifteen cards."

As one the six gasped in shock, but it was too late. "Eternity Mage, crush them! End their impudent talk! Bring me into the final stage of the completion of my purpose!"

A sphere of divine energy hovered over the divine mage's staff that was the size of a small horse. Then it swung its staff, and then sphere of energy split apart into dozens of separate energy balls. Each of those energy balls flew out a different duelist, raining down on them like sparks from a fire. "So it ends. Good riddance." (DLP: 0, HLP: 0, KLP: 0, TLP: 0, MLP: 0, ALP: 0)

Energy floated up from the six duelists, and Eikyuu extended his palm. Three different globes of power hovered above his palm, each one representing a different Heart of Man. "Heart of Justice, Heart of Love, and Heart of Faith. Together your power is more than enough to strip mankind of his free will. So let it be done."

He turned away and the world around him began to flicker as he manipulated time and space to transport himself back to the place that he had taken as his capitol. "Leaving so soon? Is it because you're afraid to face the truth that nobody wants you around anymore, or just because you're a coward?"

Eikyuu spun on his heel and discovered the body that Misuno had been using was standing once again. The body of Kai Kaethen, and now with his tone of voice once again. "What is this trickery? You are dead, and this game is ended."

A sudden motion caught his attention, as the body that AB had possessed, the body of Autumn Kurai, pulled itself back into a standing position. "You're misunderstanding Eikyuu. This isn't a game, this is life. This is the determination of what's best for mankind. And mankind has decided that you aren't what's best for mankind."

"Do not deny my will. I have won this duel, I have won according to the agreement made between myself and your compatriots. Now I will strip away mankind's free will to bring perfect order, just as is my purpose. Stand aside or I will crush you just as I crushed your friends." Another sudden motion attracted his attention.

Rising up from a ball of light was none other than Ryu Shigeru, gauntlet back on his hand. He extended his arm and his gauntlet formed into a duel disk shape. At the same time Autumn and Kai extended their own arms, activating their duel disks. "You make the mistake in thinking you've won, when in fact this duel is still on!"

Eikyuu's glare should have been enough to kill a man, but none of them flinched. "Perhaps I have misunderstood the rules of the game. Does the end of the duel not come when the opposing player or players have their life points reduced to zero? All of those who entered into this duel with me have had their life points reduced to zero, so I win."

Kai stepped out in front of the others and tossed Eikyuu a thick stack of cards, his dueling deck. He held seven cards in his hand. "The game is still on because of the effect of Resounding Horn of God. And according to your own Assemblage of Fallen Gods, you get the cards we didn't take."

Ryu and Autumn both tossed Eikyuu their own decks, and remained holding seven cards. Kai shook his head in amusement as he explained. "You need to listen closer, because Hikari clearly said 'all' of your opponents would be restored to life to continue the duel. Since we're your opponents as well, we're back to continue it. And we intend to use this duel to end you and prove that you aren't needed anymore."

The god of order clenched one fist, and then slowly uncurled it. Finally he held up nine cards and tossed them aside. "If the duel is still on, then it is still my turn. I discard nine cards to have Eternity Mage attack each of you three times!"

A barrage of projectile energy struck the three duelists, and they were tossed back down amongst their allies. Eikyuu growled and turned away once again. "That should finish it." (KLP: 0, ALP: 0, RLP: 0)

"This duel isn't over yet Eikyuu! You still have me to deal with, and I want you gone just as much as everyone else!" Eikyuu growled again and turned back, this time discovering a figure wearing leather with buckles and with a golden upside down pyramid hanging around his neck. Yugi Motou. (YLP: 4000)

"Are there any more foolish mortals coming to deny my right to exist, or is it just you?" Yami smirked, and gestured to his right. Eikyuu was hardly surprised to see Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler step forward with their duel disks ready. (SLP: 4000, JLP: 4000)

The blonde duelist thumbed at his nose, a cocky grin being his prominent feature. "Eikyuu, we're here to kick your butt off this planet. We just ain't got no use for you anymore, never have and never will."

Seto Kaiba snorted and made a slashing motion with his left arm, causing his trench coat to flare out. "That's a double negative mutt, so why don't you leave the talking to someone capable of more than barks."

Joey growled at his rival and was barely able to restrain himself from attacking. "This is the wrong time Kai-bitch! We've got a point to make, so speak your part and then shut your trap!"

The brunette snorted again, then stepped out in front of the other two in order to speak his part. "About the only things in the world that I care about are my company and my little brother. He and I share a bond, and that's a special kind of order. If you do what you intend, you'll ruin that. That's my reason for not wanting you around, there's no need to break the order that already exists just to supplant it with your own."

Yami smiled and slapped a hand on Kaiba's back, smirking at his rival. "That was well said Kaiba."

Eikyuu snarled and held up nine cards, then threw them aside. "You bore me with your repeated words! Fall my foes, just like all my other opponents! Eternity Mage will destroy you!"

The assault hit, but when the smoke cleared the three duelists were still standing there. Yami smirked and held up three cards of his own. "This is the kind of order we have to offer, mankind can get along and create our own peace and order. To demonstrate that I used three Kuribohs to defend myself and my companions from one attack each." (YLP: 1000, SLP: 1000, JLP: 1000)

"Useless! Eternity Mage will attack three more times at a cost of three more cards! I can defeat an infinite number of you fools since I have an infinite number of cards!" Three more blasts hit the three duelists, and each of them dropped but Yami. Instead the former Duel King's body had changed, becoming more innocent looking. (YLP: 4000, SLP: 0, JLP: 0)

Yugi Motou, the boy that the ancient pharaoh resided within, stood calm and ready for whatever attack Eikyuu would make. "No matter how many of us you defeat, there will always be more. Even your own former supporters have seen the truth of what you offer. All you offer is an end to real life. That's not order, that's not anything."

A teenager with blonde hair stepped up beside Yugi, his single eye glaring at Eikyuu. To Yugi's left a black haired teenager with ice blue eyes stood ready to confront his former master. Nikolas Selket and Taichi Nobuki had come to face the one they had fought for. Nick shook his head in disgust, and spat on the ground. "I steal what I need, take what doesn't belong to me. But I still inconsequential things, while you intend to steal the only thing that truly matters. Nobody needs that kind of thief." (NLP: 4000)

Taichi simply rolled his eyes, standing off to one side of the others. "I seriously don't like these pricks, and you know very well that I hate mankind. But there's a difference between wiping them all out and taking their free will. What you intend to do is worse than anything I could do. And besides, if we want to do that we can do it ourselves, so fuck off and leave mankind to me!" (TLP: 4000)

Eikyuu snarled and held up a massive handful of cards that looked to be about twenty or thirty. "I grow tired of you fools challenging me! DIE AND STAY DEAD!"

Eternity Mage launched a massive assault on the three duelists, blowing them backwards. They didn't get up, and Eternity Mage was able to lower its staff. Eikyuu didn't even bother to move this time, he merely waited. "Who is next? What other fools will come after these ones?" (YLP: 0, NLP: 0, TLP: 0)

"What about me hon? Or do you not take female challengers? Either way, I'm here to tell you that you should be gone." Mai Valentine walked out of the mist, and stopped about fifteen feet in front of Eikyuu. She raised her duel disk and drew seven cards, then tossed the rest at Eikyuu's feet. (MLP: 4000)

Another figure walked out from that same mist, followed by a third. These next two were also female, one being around fourteen or fifteen, and the other a few years older. Serenity Wheeler lifted her own duel disk and stood at the ready, next to her Tea Gardner did the same. "We're here to oppose you and to tell you that we no longer need you, that the world doesn't need you. So get lost!" (SLP: 4000, TLP: 4000)

"Should I wait for more, or will this be all?" No sooner had Eikyuu spoken than another group of duelists approached, this one even odder than previous groups. It consisted of a tall teenager with spiked brown hair, an eleven year old with spiky black hair, and a blonde haired duelist with a shirt showing a Blue Eyes.

"Tristan Taylor, Mokuba Kaiba, and Kevin Hunter...one who served my order. How quaint. And you all come to tell me that I have no more purpose on this earth, is that it?" They all nodded, and loaded their duel disks. (TRLP: 4000, MBLP: 4000, KLP: 4000)

"I won't waste any time with any of you any longer! I'll simply continue attacking until there are no more duelists left to oppose me! Eternity Mage...begin your infinite assault!" The mage leveled his wand, and a rapid machine gun of energy attacks fired out of it, blasting at the opposing duelists without mercy until none of them were standing. (MLP: 0, SLP: 0, TLP: 0, TRLP: 0, MBLP: 0, KLP: 0)

"We too desire no more of your presence! Once we stepped forward to serve you, but what you want isn't what we want. We want order, but not at the price you would have it cost. So we no longer have need for you, you have no more purpose Eikyuu!" A large group of duelists staggered itself in front of him, and each one had once served him.

Tobaroshi, a duelist who had faced Autumn and felt the power of the Heart of Friendship. Thomas Evans, a duelist who had faced Ryu and discovered Ryu's Heart of Courage. Rose, who had challenged Dalin and felt the strength of the Heart of Justice.

Then there was Emilio, Sebushimi, and Tokime. Three duelists who together had faced the wrath of the Heart of Darkness, Heart of Light, and Heart of Balance in their efforts on Eikyuu's behalf. Drake had annihilated them all.

In the last group of three was Petty Officer Talon. Under the influence of Eikyuu's will he had stood side by side with D'harim against three of the world's best duelists, only to be crushed like he was nothing. Rani and Ken were in a similar boat, having worked for Eikyuu because of his power, and having lost themselves in a match against AB and Misuno.

Now these duelists who had once pledged loyalty to Eikyuu and his order stood against him, demanding him to depart. Telling him that he had no more purpose, that he was useless, a piece of scrap much as he had treated many of them in the past. And that was something he could not accept. "I'll destroy you all!"

He held up what looked to be two hundred cards and then incinerated them in his hand, granting their power to Eternity Mage. The divine monster raised its staff above its head and generated a ball of energy the size of a house, which it promptly launched at the gathered duelists. They were then promptly blasted away, their life points reduced to nothing.

The ground around Eikyuu shook violently as his power raged, as he refused to heed their words. Yet still more duelists approached, duelists that he didn't know, duelists that he couldn't know, yet they were all coming to tell him the same thing. "IMUDENCE!"

One by one they were struck down by his power, yet still they came. Rex Raptor, Weevil Underwood, Pegasus J. Crawford, Bandit Keith, Mako Tsunami, Varon, Amelda, Raphael, Lucas Braunham, Mei and Kyu, Espa Roba, and so many more.

They came from every end of the Earth, from every background. They were rich, they were poor, they were black, they were white, they were old, they were young. It didn't matter what they were, they simply came, and they all came for the same reason. Yet still they fell.

They stood and then they fell, all of them helpless against Eikyuu's power. It was a duel that they all entered into knowing that victory was impossible, but even knowing that they still entered.

Eikyuu's cards began to form a pile around his feet as he continued to discard cards to feed his infinite attack. He had long since lost count of the duelists he had crushed, and the bodies seemed to pile higher and higher. As soon as too many were there, some would fade to make room for a new group of duelists.

As Eternity Mage continued to attack, something began to happen. The two little hairline cracks on Eikyuu's mask spread, becoming more visible. He didn't notice it, all he knew was rage at the denial of his purpose. _'I cannot be without purpose! Without purpose I am nothing, so they must fall!'_

When it seemed that he had mounted the bodies higher than the numbers could be counted, his opponents changed. They came not with duel disks at the ready, but with determined faces and pleading words. He lost track of who they were, and what they were, but he knew that they were just regular people.

He knew only red as he continued to attack, and the day dipped into night as on and on his opponents came. He didn't know the difference between one and the next, and numbers were lost on him utterly. They no longer came in small groups, but by the hundreds and the thousands, yet they were crushed all the same.

From every walk of life they came, millions of them all told, and soon the next day passed without Eikyuu ever lifting from his goal of annihilation. The number changed from the millions to the billions, and all of a sudden on the third day of his unending assault...they stopped coming. "Is it...ended?"

He turned on his heel, gazing out into the distance. Bodies littered the pristine snow, mounted on top of each other as far as they eye could see. He had no idea how many he had faced, only that they had all denied his purpose, thereby denying his very existence. "They need me...they must. I am the God of Order...it is my purpose to bring order."

He himself was no longer completely pristine. Small cracks lined his mask, marring the former perfection that had been seen in that flawless mask. The item that had been his focus of life force, what had been the place of his birth and creation, the thing that was his absolute self...was cracking. "The end has come...now I may fulfill my purpose and strip the will of man away, bringing a final and lasting order to the world. Then...then..."

Eikyuu stopped, staring out into the distance. For all of the vast number of years of his existence he had understood his purpose, even as it evolved. Always his purpose was that of making sure that the people of the village, then the city, and now the world were in order. But in this final moment, something had changed.

After so many tens of thousands of years, if not millions, he was finally mere moments away from achieving his ultimate goal. His true purpose that had been determined by himself...no, by those who had been his creation, mankind itself, was now seconds from completion. "Then what?"

For so long he had preached just as the religion based upon him preached. Purpose brought Order, purpose was life, order was life, he was life. Without purpose one is nothing and must be cast aside, lest they become a tool for chaos, which was death itself, the absolute of evil. "My purpose is to bring order...but what then? After there is complete order, what is my purpose?"

He had spent so much time and energy upon this absolute goal of achieving his absolute purpose, he had struck down the billions that opposed him...billions, most of the population of the world. Yet what would follow? "If my purpose is completed, then do I cease to exist?"

Eikyuu knew that it was his utter purpose to bring order, and yet he found himself questioning all that he believed, all that he was. But still, there was something that was missing. Some piece of the puzzle that he was missing. Only when he understood could he have the answer to his question. "My purpose is what defines me...without my purpose, what am I? Am I nothing? Will I fade into the wind, lost in the depths of time?"

"Hey Mr. How come you're all alone out here?" Eikyuu turned, and then tilted his head down. Standing just a few feet away, coming up only to his knee, was a young boy who couldn't have been more than five years old.

"I am alone because I was forced to push aside all those who stood between me and my purpose. To insure complete order to all life on Earth by preventing mankind's chaotic nature from taking hold. And now I am alone even with myself because I cannot see what comes after." The little boy frowned, and then took a good look around.

Finally the little boy came to some conclusion, and did what his little mind felt was right. He walked up and kicked Eikyuu in the shin. "You're a mean man."

Eikyuu tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I am not a man. I am a god, forged by the will of mankind. Mankind was my birth, but I am not man. Nor am I mean, for I follow the will imparted to me by mankind itself."

Again the boy frowned. "You hurt all these people because they told you to? I don't get it, was it some kind of game?"

The mighty god knelt down so he could better look at the child. In his mind, he wondered if perhaps this boy could be the final piece to the puzzle, the answer to his question. "It was not a game little one. But...at one point in time, people told me to do this. So...it seems I have."

The boy moved forwards and kicked Eikyuu in the knee, scowling at the much larger being. "My mom always told me that you shouldn't do something just because other people said to. If somebody told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?"

"If another people wished it to be so, then yes I would. By my very nature I must follow the will of the people, their faith determines my existence. Without faith, without the purpose it grants me...I am nothing. What is your name little one?"

"I'm Steven, but everybody calls me Stevie. What about you?" Eikyuu tilted his head up to look at the sky, and had he had a mouth he would have frowned.

"My name was lost long ago, but you may call me Eikyuu. I wonder little Stevie, if I do something that makes it so that I no longer have a reason to live, what happens then?" The little boy looked perplexed by this comment, but seemed to think about it anyways.

Suddenly his little eyes lit up, and he jumped up and down. "I know! I know! You go find something new to do, because nobody likes being bored. If you promise to stop being mean, I might even let you play with me."

Eikyuu looked out at the fallen bodies, the billions who had opposed him, told him that they no longer wanted nor needed him. His own words echoed in his mind, and the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. _'If enough people tell me to jump off a bridge, would I? Yes...yes I would. And so I must follow the will of the people, just as is my nature. All faith has been lost in my purpose, but now I can have a new purpose.'_

Slowly the god reached out his hand and held it open and out to little Stevie. The boy eyed him carefully and then put his hand in the god's hand, which completely engulfed his. "You promise to stop being mean?"

"Yes. And I think I would like to play with you more than anything else ever before." Stevie shook his head, and then Eikyuu stood up, letting the boy continue to hold his hand.

Stevie looked up at Eikyuu, and then he asked something that seemed important to him. "How come you want to play with me so much?"

"Because for the first time...it is what I want to do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dalin looked down at the white mask that had once belonged to Eikyuu and then he picked it up. "I guessed right. I saw the piece of the puzzle that Eikyuu hadn't, and Hikari was able to make it possible."

"What if he hadn't been able to see it? What would have happened?" Dalin looked back at Kirani who stood in front of all the others. They were back to normal, as were all the others who had fell at Eikyuu's hand, or at the hand's of his minions. All but a few who were genuinely dead and gone, but no war was won without casualties.

"I don't know. I suppose we should just be glad that he chose as we wanted him to, now shouldn't we?" He started to walk away, mask in hand, with a place in mind that he had to go. However, he was stopped when Hikari asked him an important question.

"What do you think happened to Eikyuu when he realized that people felt he no longer had a purpose? By his own words having no purpose makes a person useless, so what would he do if he himself became useless?" There was a pause as the question settled in, and then finally Dalin answered as he walked away.

"I suspect that he made his own purpose. That is the human thing to do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tuscanee was a small town in Maryland, populated by about thirteen thousand people total. It was mostly suburban, and it was a peaceful place. There was little violence, rarely was their crime. It was probably one of the most peaceful and orderly places on Earth.

"You can't catch me, you can't catch me!" The sound of playing children brought joy to the hearts of those who saw them and heard them. They were utterly innocent, and they were the true peace of the town. Nothing was as pure as they were.

"I bet I can! Just watch me!" On the front lawn of a small quaint home two little boys, of about age five, were running around even as the sprinklers soaked them. The one that was running away from the other had brown hair and hazel eyes, and the house they were in front of belonged to his parents.

"Stevie, it's dinner time!" The two boys skidded to a halt, and the brown haired boy looked up at the porch where his mother stood, calling him in. He briefly glanced back at the other boy, who had black hair and bright green eyes.

"Can Eikyuu come and eat with us?" The mother paused, and then at the sight of her son's hopeful smile she relented.

"Sure, the more the merrier. He said he didn't have a home, so he can consider this his home from now on. Any friend of my Stevie is like a son to me. So what do you say Eikyuu, would you like to stay her and play forever?"

The black haired boy looked between Stevie and his mother, and then smiled. "I'd like that very much. More than anything else."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: At last the end to the struggle has come, and peace settles in at last. But a few things remain to be settled, and only then can the world truly move on. This is the final chapter of this story, but the epilogue remains, and I hope you've all enjoyed it. The end to this story comes next time.

_Next Time: Epilogue: The Hearts of Man_

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Doomed was slightly appropriate, but not entirely.

The White Mage: Wow...that's a really negative view of faith. Oh well.

WolfGeneral: I'm gonna go on a limb and say Ichigo couldn't win. In fact, as you can plainly see in matters of dueling Eikyuu's deck is simply too strong to be beaten.

VoidTemplar: Surprising isn't it? In the end Eikyuu won the duel, but mankind won the day.

_Original Cards_(If I put a TM next to a card, that means it was created by Time Mage who created Kai, if it has WG next to it, it was created by WolfGeneral)

Eikyuu: Assemblage of Fallen Gods, Eternity Mage


	47. Epilogue: The Hearts of Man

Author's Notes: Everything in Shadowed Light of My Heart comes to a conclusion in this epilogue.

_**Epilogue: The Hearts of Man**_

The sound of a doorbell shattered the silence that had crept in on the small Georgian town. Silence returned momentarily, and then the sound of grumbling and someone moving around came. There was a brief crash, and then finally the door was yanked open.

The man who opened the door would have been considered quite large, since he stood at about six feet and two inches, and was large around the middle. However, the man he saw standing in front of him made him look small by comparison. Standing roughly six and a half feet in height and made of solid muscle, he looked as if he could punch a hole in cement. "What you want?"

"Kyle Walker?" The southern man cringed at hearing his name come from the large man in front of him. Whenever somebody gave that simple questioned, he always wondered what they were after. Usually it was insurance, but in this case he sincerely doubted it.

"That's me. Now like I said, what you want?" The behemoth in front of him instantly grabbed his collar and bodily swung him out into the street. He then proceeded to toss something metal at Kyle.

Kyle snarled and caught the object without looking at it. The big man pointed a finger at him and glared down at him in a way that made Kyle shake with fear. "Kyle Walker, for your actions in the past I challenge you to a Darkness Game!"

Kyle stared around in shock as a dark fog rolled in around him, and suddenly he was surrounded by it. His body began to grow cold, and he felt intense fear roll through his body. "What...what is this?"

"This is your end. I trust you know how to play the game, because that's all that's needed." Kyle blinked, and then looked down at the object he was holding. To his surprise it was a Kaiba Corporation Duel Disk Model Two. Then his fear turned into a smirk as he slid the thing onto his arm and pressed the activation button. (KLP: 4000)

"I don't know what the hell this is about, or what a Darkness Game is...but nobody around these parts can beat me in a duel. So I hope you're ready to lose." He smirked and reached into his pocket, and then proceeded to pull out a dueling deck and slam it into his disk.

"I'll take first turn! And I'll start by summoning Super Vorse Raider(1900/1200) in attack mode!" A beastial warrior wielding a double-bladed sword shimmered into play, and instead of the simple armor that the normal Vorse Raider had, this one had silver futuristic armor.

Kyle sneered at his opponent, and then folded his hand of cards up, indicating that he was done. His opponent drew six cards off his deck, and then fanned them out. "Kyle Walker, for your actions in life I will punish you. Prepare to lose. You now face Dalin Imaki Sumatin, who will bring you to justice!" (DLP: 4000)

The souther man chuckled at his opponent's confidence, knowing exactly what his Super Vorse Raider could do. When the idiot attacked, he'd get a surprise. _'Get what's coming to you boy.'_

Dalin selected one card from his hand, and then slammed it down onto his duel disk. A behemoth of a monster arose, with blue armor covering its bod, the shoulders spiked and a pair of wing-like armor pieces coming out of the back. "I discard one card from my hand in order to normal summon Soldier of Obelisk(2000/2000) in attack mode."

"Now from my hand I activate the magic card Amassed Army of God. For every card I discard from my hand I can special summon an additional duplicate of one monster in play. I discard one card to summon a second Soldier of Obelisk specially." Now a twin of the other monster appeared, both of them towering over Super Vorse Raider.

"Since I summoned Soldier of Obelisk I must discard one card from my hand, leaving me with only one card remaining. That however is all I need. Activate magic card, Monster Reborn!" The darkness around them quivered, and Kyle felt a chill run up his spine as a giant blue form began to rise up out of the ground. It continued to rise until it stood some hundred feet in height or more.

"This is the master of my present two monsters. Meet The Immense Divine Soldier...Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!" The mighty blue god roared at the much smaller monster that Kyle had, and the proud southerner quivered in terror. He did mental math and concluded that he'd still survive, albeit barely.

"Do you believe you can survive? That is impossible against the coming of justice. Obelisk, I offer up your two loyal soldiers to activate your special ability. SOUL MAX!" Obelisk reached down and took the two soldiers in his hands, and then crushed them, draining their energy into itself. Kyle watched in horror as Obelisk's stats changed, becoming infinite.

Kyle didn't so much cower as he did whimper. He couldn't even began to conceive a true thought in the face of this mighty beast. "Now Obelisk, deliver justice. GOD HAND CRUSHER!"

Seconds later the dome of the Darkness Game collapsed, revealing Dalin standing over Kyle, who was staring blankly ahead. Dalin brushed by the man, and walked right up to a red Thunderbird, in which sat a red haired woman. She looked up at him and frowned. "What did you do to him?"

"I gave him exactly what he deserved." Dalin opened the car door and got in. Rose blinked at him in a questioning manner, not quite understanding what he meant.

"What did he deserve?"

There was a slight pause as Dalin started up the car. Then at last he spoke. "Nothing."

In a vast space of endless white stood the middle aged Kyle Walker, who had once terrorized his only daughter and been a useless drain on society. Now he was trapped in this endless expanse of nothingness. "Hello...is anybody there?"

There was no answer, and there never would be. Justice had been served.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kyoto. One of the largest cities in all of Japan, and the former capital of the nation. Within this city was an apartment rented out and payed for with money provided by Kaiba Corporation, if indirectly. The woman who resided in this apartment was a complete wreck, and had been since the untimely demise of her husband and the terrible event that had occurred to her daughter. She rarely saw her son, and it was he who payed for the apartment.

Tenjiku Ihachi, the woman who lived in the apartment, had been helpless to stop the downward spiral of her own life, and that of her son. She had watched helplessly as her son got involved with a gang, and she had no idea what he had done in the years before he was granted a job at Kaiba Corporation. She knew that it was because she was a wreck, and because the one person who had still supported him in life had passed into a state worse than death.

Although her son payed for the apartment, she had always felt that she had lost her son as well, because he was completely different from the child she had started to raise, and she had seen him only a handful of times in the past six years. He had shared an apartment in Domino City with her for a while, but he worked four or five jobs during those years, and so he was almost never home.

She frowned when she heard the sound of someone knocking at the door. That in itself was unusual, since she hardly ever had visitors. _'Is rent due already? Have I really lost track of time by that much?'_

Tenjiku stood up, and then walked to the door. She undid the latch, and then pulled it open. What she saw made her stop dead, because it was completely impossible. "Hi mom."

Standing in front of her was none other than her oldest child, her daughter Hikari Ihachi who had been in a coma for several years. Standing directly behind her was her youngest child, her son Daisuke Ihachi. "My babies...my babies have come home."

Before she knew it she had swept them both up into a hug, and sobbed into Daisuke's shoulder. She felt their arms wrap around her, and she heard whispered words of reassurance that all was well, that they were back for good now. "My babies have come home to me."

She had never believed in miracles, but she held two of them in her arms right now. For the first time since her husband had passed away she was truly happy. Her children had returned home to her, and all was well. "Everything is going to be alright now mom. We're home."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryu Shigeru kicked his feet up and leaned back against the recliner. Sitting across from him were two girls, both of them teenagers and both younger than him. "I've made a lot of decisions in my life, most of them were stupid ones. I've been alone for a long time, so I want you to know that you two are the best part of my life, the only decision I've ever made that was worthwhile was when I decided to call you two family."

Autumn and Hinata shared a smile. Although they were rivals for this man's affections, they knew that in the end it was alright, because even if he chose in the end to not be with either of them they would still be family. Hinata smiled brightly, and plopped down onto the arm of the chair. "Family huh? I think I like the sound of that."

Autumn did the same, but sat on the other side. "I'm not sure how my parents will react to hearing that they've adopted a hooligan, but I'm sure they'll adjust."

Ryu raised an eyebrow at her, and she just giggled in response. "Hooligan huh? Well this hooligan knows the ultimate form of torture, so you two better watch it."

"No...you wouldn't!" The smirk that Ryu now wore was evident that he in fact would.

He grabbed each of them and threw them down, laughing as he attacked. "You've fallen into the deadliest trap of all! The Tickle of Demise!"

Yes. Family was good enough.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At the far edge of Domino City a lone teenager with long black hair stood in a deserted area. Yet despite how deserted it seemed, he knew that he wasn't alone in this place. Spirits always lingered in a graveyard, and he knew that there were two in particular that were watching him.

Kai sighed and dropped into a crouch. He reached out and placed a bundle of flowers on top of the dual headstone that indicated the resting spot of the two most important people in his life. "Mom...dad...the people who did this have gotten what they deserved. So you can rest in peace now."

He clenched his fist in remembrance of when he had found out about their death. It had rocked him to the core. When he had gotten home he had discovered a note written by his parents, and with that note there were five cards. The four other Breakers, and the magic card that let him summon them.

"The words you gave me, even knowing that your deaths would come...I promise that I'll try to live by them. I'll try not to be the last candle to go out, I'll support others in this world. I know that I'll never be alone, because the whole world is with me, and you two will always be watching. I swear I won't disappoint you, I'll make you proud." He stood up and gazed up at the clouds overhead.

Slowly his frown changed into a smile, the most genuine smile that had touched his lips in quite some time. "I'll open up, and I'll be Kai Kaethen to his fullest. I'll become whoever I can be, and I'll be the best Kai Kaethen that I can manage. No matter what else happens in my life, I know I can always count on that. But I won't be Kai Kaethen alone...and that makes it better."

He slid his dueling deck out of his pocket, and then rifled through it until he found the card he wanted. He placed it down on top of their grave, and then he stood back up. "Soul Sorcerer...he's not my best monster, but in this situation I'll leave him as a reminder. Part of my soul is always with you, just as part of yours will always be with me. Goodbye, and thank you."

Finally he turned and began the long walk home. Despite the fact that he was alone, he didn't feel like it. Not anymore. "Never alone, not now and not ever. Now...I've got the whole world. I've got my whole life, and I've got friends."

Never alone, and that was what was important.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Taichi Nobuki swore violently and kicked a nearby can, sending it skittering along the road. "Damn them all! They won't get me back into a freaking padded room where the best food I can get is jell-O! I'm the freaking villain, they can't do that to me!"

He swore again and then kicked off of the ground, summoning up the powers of the wind to aid him. He soared into the air and then landed on a nearby roof top where he would be out of their view. "Is this how it'll be, on the run for the rest of my life? Damn them all...sooner or later I'll find a way to show them! Humanity will suffer and die at my hands!"

"Is that so? I guess you'll just have to get in line." Taichi whirled around, and was greeted with an unfamiliar face that looked to be just a few years older than him. Taichi frowned and slowly gathered a ball of solid air into his hand, ready to attack if needed.

"Who the hell are you?" The older boy smirked and raised one hand, his fingers poised to snap together. Taichi felt a sudden spike of energy that drowned out anything he could muster, like all life in the area was being drained away.

"I'm the one the devil fears." There was a sudden laughter, and then the building they were standing on exploded, raining fire and shrapnel down upon the city. Later it would be dubbed a terrorist action, and no culprit was ever found.

No one saw the teenager walking calmly out of the wreckage, a big self-satisfied smirk on his face. He was whistling a merry tune, and he began to sing. "I've got the whole world in my hands, I've got the whole wide world in my hands..."

He stopped and turned, looking back at the wreckage. "And I've got a strong grip."

His laughter rang through the din, and then he was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the back of a pub in New York a teenager with blonde hair and a single eye sat reading a newspaper. He seemed oddly amused by the headline which read: "Mystery Thief Robs First National Bank. Money Returned The Morning After."

"They just don't get that it's the challenge that matters. The best part was doing it in broad daylight and not getting caught or even seen." Nikolas Selket smirked and leaned back against the back of the booth, twirling a set of shoe laces in his left hand.

He looked up from the paper when he heard a brief blurb from the nearby television, which was mentioning something about a tournament. "Hey barkeep, could you turn that up a bit?"

The elderly man nodded, and pumped the volume up so that Nikolas could hear what was being said. He leaned in to listen. "We're here today to cover the first day of Kaiba Corporation's second sponsored Duel Monsters tournament which is being called the KC Grand Prix, featuring many high rolling duelists. Winner of the tournament even gets the chance to hold a special duel with the reigning Duel King, Dalin Imaki Sumatin."

Nick frowned as the television displayed a picture of Dalin standing with his DD2 strapped to his arm and activated. "Dalin...just like you I'll find the truth. I can't say that my anger has faded, or that my hatred of you has dimmed. All I know is that I won't take any further action against you until I know more. But someday you and I will face each other on the field of battle again. Then we'll know the truth."

He would savor that moment. Even if he discovered that Dalin was not responsible for the murder of his parents and the loss of his eye, he would still want that rematch. It was a duel he would await anxiously. "My ultimate rival...the one man who I both hate and admire. Someday I'll defeat you."

Smiling with anticipation he flipped the newspaper back up and continued to read the article about his exploits. Until he got his duel, he would just have to satisfy himself with challenges such as that one. What else could a thief do?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Takuya Shinomori bowed his head, and felt a thrill as a hand was placed on the top of his head, and a quiet prayer was whispered. When the prayer ended he looked up into the face of his master, and was greeted with a cheerful smile. "Rise Takuya Shinomori. Rise and meet me as an equal for the first time."

He stood to his full height, and then the two exchanged a brief bow, both bowing an equal amount. "I've long awaited this moment, and it has been long in coming. There have been trials and tribulations all along the way, but I have risen to the challenge and become the strongest warrior I can be in mind, body, and spirit."

"Welcome to the ranks of the Masters. In just a few years time this dojo will be yours, and the students will answer to you. I know when that day comes that you will succeed me with honor, and you will pass on all that I have taught you. You are my best student, and I trust you completely." He placed a withered hand upon Takuya's shoulder, and the young man smiled slightly.

"Thank you for the praise. Although I've reached the rank of Master, in truth you will always be Master to me. I've grown up calling you Master, and I don't think I could call you anything else." The old man frowned and then reached out and flicked his pupil in the forehead.

"What about grandpa?" Takuya chuckled and reached out and flicked the old man in the forehead in return.

"Sure grandpa, I think that works too. So what do you say old man, still have enough strength in those old bones for a sparring match with your best pupil?" Both fighters grinned, and slid into identical stances.

"You may be a Master now, but I can still beat you any day of the week. Let's begin!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So you were really in another dimension?"

"Yep. And I really did duel a genuine demon, as hard as that is to believe." Kirani laughed and put her hands behind her head, leaning back so that she was lying on the deck of the yacht, watching the sky just like Drake was.

"After all we've been through, I think I'd believe just about anything. But what I really can't figure out is where we go from here." The sound of the waves against the boat gave the situation a serene feeling, and both of them felt perfectly relaxed.

Drake watched a passing cloud that looked vaguely like Snoopy, and then turned his head to the side so that he could look directly at Kirani. "I don't know, I was thinking of a couple of things. Regular things, you know, like being a normal person for once."

"So what sort of things did you have in mind? I wouldn't mind just staying on this boat forever, but I guess that's an impossible dream. We do have to go back to shore to refuel after all." That brought a peal of laughter from both of them, but it quickly subsided as the waves relaxed them.

"I was thinking of taking the college entrance exams. I'll have to talk it over with Kaiba, but I think I can manage it. Can you imagine that? Me...a university student." Kirani pictured him sitting in a college classroom, and suddenly that image changed to him standing on one of the desks challenging the professor to a duel. She immediately burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Kirani wasn't able to answer immediately, since she had to catch her breath and stop laughing first. But once she did, she couldn't help but snicker as she said it.

"I had this weird thought of you dueling a professor. Can you imagine that? Dueling at a school! But anyways, you said there were a couple of things you wanted to do. What else?" There was a pause, and then suddenly her view of the clouds was shadowed as Drake leaned over her.

"Drake...what are" She was cut off as his lips pressed against hers. She shook off her surprise and leaned into the kiss, savoring it as their first.

Finally he pulled away, looking down at her with a grin on his face. "I was thinking about dating. I know of a nice Sushi bar in Tokyo, so what do you say? Me, you, the ocean, and lots of raw fish."

"You're an idiot, but I think I love you anyways." Drake moved away, and lay back down next to her, staring up at the clouds. Together on the ocean, free and at peace. Kirani smiled as Drake's hand rested on hers.

"I'm here by you, and I get to see you smile. That love that I feel for you, and you being with me...it makes me feel complete for the first time in my entire life. Do you know what my secret dream is?" Kirani shook her head, and waited for Drake to continue.

"My secret dream is to wake up and be able to see your smile, to know that you're still smiling, and to sleep well with that knowledge. Your smile is my dream, so every moment that you're happy I'm living that dream. I'm no longer chasing my dream...I've caught it."

We are most alive when we are chasing dreams. Yet at the same time the purest and most wonderful thing that one can experience in life is to reach that dream. That is true peace. "Thank you for being my dream Kirani."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Peace has settled in, and everyone returns to their lives. Things are different, and not all for the better or for the worse. I want to thank each and every last person who has read my story, those who have reviewed and so on, including those who have inspired me in my writing to keep going, and gave me new ideas. I hope all of you thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I hope you're looking forward to the final part of the trilogy as much as I am. The ride's not over yet folks, I've got one last major installment to do before it ends.

_Next Time: Dalin, Drake, and all the others have faced many challenges. The Dark Spirit, Ihami, and Eikyuu. After facing the power of the God of Order the gang gets some much needed rest, but peace cannot last forever. Lurking in the shadows is an ancient evil, and in order to stem the tide of darkness the group must come to terms with all of the secrets that have remained hidden for so long. And they will at last come to understand the nature and the power of the ultimate force of the universe. The Essences._

_See it all, in The Last Rays of Twilight. _

_Review Response_

G.O.T. Nick: Honestly, Dalin and the others understood that there was absolutely no way to beat Eikyuu, even if they won the duel they couldn't stop him. The only way to defeat Eikyuu was to negate his purpose, just like they did.

The White Mage: Hugs are always free at the end of a story, but I'll be the one needing the hug when I finish the third story since that will be the true end.

WolfGeneral: Thank you. I certainly hope you've enjoyed this story as much as my previous one.

VoidTemplar: You'll have to wait for the sequel a bit, since I'll finish Dimension Gate first.

Neo Arkadia: Thanks for the compliments. Actually, the sentence is supposed to read 'If enough people wished it to be so'. I caught that mistake after I posted. And this was what the epilogue brought up.

Time Mage: Wow...just...wow. I really can't respond with much else than that as this was the most complimentary review I have ever received, and it really made my day. So thanks Paul.

_Story Stats_

Characters: 1,520,060

Words: 357,618

Sentences: 22,539

Lines: 28,714

Paragraphs: 5,959

Pages: 631

Average Word Length: 5

Average Words per sentence: 15

Max words per sentence: 72


End file.
